New Justice
by ThoseNewJusticeGirls
Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. SUMMARY CONTINUED INSIDE.
1. Chapter 1  Are They New?

**Disclaimer: We do not own YJ. Not that rich or creative. We do own the two NEW characters we're throwing in – Anna Winter/Castor and Maki O'neil/Phoenix. Enjoy~**

Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. Their journey takes them to Gotham where their lives become entwined with the legendary Batman and the new team known as Young Justice.

**Chapter One "Are they new?" **

She perched at the edge of the ledge of the roof, peering down into the streets of Gotham below. Normally her business wouldn't have pulled her this far into the heart of Gotham. But she traveled with the wind. And the wind pointed to Gotham City. Wayne Corporation more like it. The person she was tracking was headed this way, probably hoping to lose her within the throbbing mess of crime Gotham was. She'd heard of the Batman and his little side-boy Robin. A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"My liege? You are…pleased?" a guttural voice hissed out from the surrounding darkness of the rooftop. Hidden within the shadows cast out by the full moon above, a single creature sought her attention. Ak'virta if she remembered correctly, which she rarely did. She resisted the urge to roll her amethyst eyes at him, the wind blowing strands of silver hair through her vision. It came with the change. Literally when Castor appeared, she was a pale skinned individual with amethyst eyes and long billowy silver hair. Her outfit was a transformation of whatever she'd been wearing, it took the same pattern as it normally did but with her new colors. Tight black pants, tucked into black boots to the knees with purple lace, a black corset with even more purple lace with a bit of purple fabric that trailed from her body to connect to the strange silver manacles around her wrists. her belt was silver as well.

Oh, she was Castor but she was what was called a vigilante. Her eyes were usually a fair shade of green and the hair at the current time was a dyed black with a dark purple streak in it. So where did silver come from? When she realized she could 'rev' up her energy levels and a slightly physical change took over. It was like something out of the comics. Personally, she found it creepy. She hadn't always been able to change completely, it took energy. Lots of energy, but it was the form that gave her the most and best control. Speaking of which, it kind of ran on a time limit. She felt a ripple through her body and bits of purple black hair were blown around her. She no longer felt the extreme confidence she did when she was a full-blown Castor.

"I'm not pleased…not really…and I'm NOT your liege," She reminded the creature. It crawled out of the dark shadows and up onto the ledge where she perched. It peered out into the city, eyes glowing an ominous shade of acidic green. He looked a bit like a lizard, long spindly black tail with spikes, he had claws and wings. A gargoyle maybe? Just with more color and personality.

"You are our queen…reborn," The creature told her and began once again to tell her the story of who she really was. She tuned him out. The first time she'd met these creatures her 'powers' had been going on a fritz. She'd actually met Zatara that way. Curiously enough he taught me a bit. So, one could say she'd been his apprentice at a time. Not anymore. She stood up, her black jeans brushing the tops of her black tennis-shoes. Her shoestrings were a dark purple. She had on a light black jacket with purple spider web design over it. Her shirt was a dark purple as well with the picture of a bat shape over it in silver. She still had her black eye mask on though. Not really so 'super-hero' here. She really needed some kind of superhero outfit other than what Castor came with. She couldn't BE her all the time. She had to be herself. A simple Castor instead. She zipped the thick jacket up, pulling the hood over her head and pulling her black scarf up and tugged on black gloves. She was solo on this one as well. Well, as solo as one can get with a legion of gargoyle creatures at one's command. Actually…they didn't really listen to her unless she was full-blown Castor. Sometimes they'd advise her, or just get her into trouble.

"Uh…I'm going in tonight alone," She told the little creature. It studied her for a few seconds before inclining its head.

"As you wish my liege," it replied before vanishing into a cloud of green vapors. She sighed, gazing out once more into the dark night.

"So, who are you suppose to be?" A cocky slightly high-pitched voice demanded. She nearly lost her balance in surprise, but caught herself. She whirled around on the newcomer.

"ARE YOU INSANE?" She snapped at him, before realizing who it was. Robin. Oh dear. If he was here then the Bat could be here. She scanned the area with a nervous eye. She did NOT need the Bats involved in this one. Not that he scared her. Kind of intimidated me. He had this HUGE reputation and what not.

"Well?" Robin demanded, not at all put off. He indicated her mask," Obviously you're trying to hide your identity…Well? Who are you suppose to be? I don't recall seeing you around…"

"Uh…" She said nervously, before flicking her fingers. The younger boy fell down unconscious. Yes. It is possible to manipulate the active energy of the brain in order to 'suggest' a more peaceful energy level…like that of sleep. It didn't always work though. She quickly leapt down to the fire escape, hurrying to get down to the ground below. She had business in Gotham. She raced across the streets, narrowly avoiding being hit by a car as she headed for her destination. Wayne Corp. Her primary target was none other than an individual who referred to himself as MindFreak…Or that was what he called himself. Her name just came with her past. She paused outside a door, wiggling her hands testing the air. It was tainted with the energy of MindFreak…and he knew she was there. A cold metallic hand clapped over her mouth, one arm around her waist as she was pulled backwards.

"Not a word from you Castor," someone hissed into her ear, sort of monotonous. She didn't say a word as she was dragged farther back into the alleyway. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the energy emitting from the man behind her. MindFreak, so alien yet familiar. She concentrated, dragging the dumpsters towards them-She slammed hard backwards into him and hit the ground just in time for him to be smashed between two dumpsters. She rolled and quickly leapt up onto her feet. He too stood up, seeming no worse for wear either. Parts of him were reddish orange machinery, the others were still human. His face was covered in a strange metal masked face. "Castor…I thought you were taught how to play nicely…" he inclined his head and she found herself flying backwards into Wayne Corp. The brick wall broke and she bounced, skidding across the floor. A few people screamed running for it. MindFreak headed towards her as she struggled to stand up. Something was fighting with her. The energy of her body…His metallic arm closed around her throat and hoisted her up into the air. "Now…This wouldn't have come to this if you'd only agreed with me-" Something dinged as it hit his armor. A bat-a-rang. A flashing bat-a-rang. She went flying again as another explosion ripped through the air. Well, not another, but it felt like it. "…Company I see…Another time than Castor…" MindFreak said giving her a two-finger salute. Her eyes went to the hole in the wall that her body had somehow produced. Batman. She ran like any other idiot does in a situation like that. Can't really blame her can you?

There were many ways that she could describe the boat ride from Japan to the United States. Long…dreary…quiet…every hour of the trip, the list grew. Now, settled in Gotham City, Maki O'Neil dropped her duffle bag onto the moldy carpet of the dilapidated hotel she was residing in. She sat down on the edge of the bed and nearly sunk completely into the mattress. She grunted and struggled to stand once again. Her eyes caught sight of herself in the cracked mirror across from the bed. She took a moment to study her appearance – long, braided black hair that was greasy due to several days without showering, soft hazel eyes that were upturned at the end…a tell-tale sign of her Asian heritage, and a body that was thin but toned to handle many types of physical activity. Her purple sleeveless turtleneck was dusty and her black and green plaid skirt was in desperate need for a wash. Low, black boots completed her haphazard look and Maki sighed.

"_Watashi wa iyana kao_…" She grumbled under her breath. She looked disgusting.

Shaking her head she moved to the bathroom and twisted the sink's cold water knob. She pulled her hair out of the braid and dipped her head under the faucet, letting the cool stream of water splash over her scalp. Groping to the left and gripping the shampoo bottle that her hand came in contact with, she continued to wash her hair. After the last of the soap suds drifted down the drain, she turned the knob to its 'off' position, and combed through the tangled wet locks. When Maki's hair was pulled up into a pony tail, she moved to change into her uniform.

She pulled the clothes from her duffle bag and stared at the last gift her father had left her. Takanari Okubo was one of the top kendo instructors in their region. People traveled from all parts of the country to study under him. His death had been…untimely…and it was up to Maki to continue the side project that he participated in…vigilante missions.

Speaking of…she tied the two sashes of her short kimono type outfit and slipped her weapons in place. She mentally counted the tools of her trade to make sure she was fully armed. Katana…sai…wrist knifes…shuriken…senbon needles… Yup. A typical night.

Movement in the ally caught her attention and she answered her cell phone before the first ring. "_Hai, hai_, Maki-desu."

"Mmm…And that's what happened," She told the phone. Her best and only friend Maki O'Neil was on the other end. She was lying on a bed, her hair still wet from her quick shower. She was dressed in black pajama shorts and a red tank top. She was at a rental apartment. Just long enough for her to finish things up in Gotham. Then onto moving again. She rolled over and paused as she realized the drapes were fluttering by the window. Hadn't she shut that and locked it?

"…oh what?" She asked, realizing Maki was trying to get her attention, her eyes narrowed, "Yeah…hang on…"

She set the phone down, getting up to go over to shut the window. She could see her still bruised back in the mirror, but that wasn't the only thing. Batman was in her room. She freaked and did one of the stupidest things in the world. She phased through the floor. Not only could that have killed her, but it gave her away. Luckily she landed in someone's bathtub below, full of hot water…but an old guy was in it. Enough said. She leapt out and went running. Most of her stuff was replaceable. She'd even set up small areas where she stashed a few things in case of emergencies like this one. Her stuff would self-destruct soon enough. She'd programmed it like that, being paranoid as hell.

Maki, anticipating Castor's reaction to seeing the Dark Knight in her room, darted out of her room via the window and jumped from the fire escape. Slick as a cat, she landed on the slightly damp concrete and her eyes scanned for an employee entrance. Spotting the rusted metal door behind the dumpster, the little ninja next glanced around for a sign of where Castor would have left a change of clothes. She smiled when she realized how well she had come to know her sometimes-partner. Grabbing the folded items, she opened the door and ran through the halls, eyes darting back and forth for a, most likely, naked Castor. Noticing movement in the corridor to her right, she stopped and held out the garments. "You do realize who it was that you ran from, _neh_?"

Anna flicked her wet bangs out of her eyes, and almost collided with her friend Maki. Of course. She should've realized by now that the girl would be here. She gratefully accepted the clothes, and changed quickly-from years of practice of doing this on the move like now. "Yeah yeah yeah...The Batman, bad enough I ran into him already once before...of COURSE he somehow tracked me," Anna snapped, pulling on a dark purple blouse over her wet red tank top, and slipping into some dark jeans. Yeah. Her shorts were wet, but it was better than nothing, as she phased out of the select pieces of clothing, balling up the two officially wet pieces of her pajamas. She hated wet clothing. She grabbed her boots and slid into them as well. "Okay...Thanks... Now we probably need to get moving before the Bat decides to drop in-" No sooner had she said that, Batman stepped around the corner. She grabbed her friends arm and darted out the employee entrance Maki had most likely entered from. "I swear~! You think busting a hole into a wall wouldn't get you into so much trouble..." She glanced at her friend with a slight smile. "Just like old times, eh?"

Maki began to smile and with her free hand pulled her mask up over her mouth and nose. Yes...it WAS just like old times. She remembered meeting her young partner for the first time in Germany; both chasing after the same thief...Anna tracking him down for the cat he stole and Maki chasing him for taking the cat's diamond encrusted collar. They met several times afterwards and eventually formed an unspoken bond. And MANY of their adventures ended up with them running from authorities as often as they helped them. Then again...the damage caused during their escapades often exceeded the damage the villain had inflicted upon whatever city they were in at the time.

"Okay. So, what brings ya to this wonderful city?" Anna inquired as they ran. She didn't bother slipping on her mask, merely wanting to avoid the Bat. She'd tried so hard to avoid him. It just hadn't worked out like she'd planned. When did anything go according to plan? The thirteen year old, fiddled with a random ring on one of her fingers, trying not to trip as she ran. She looked about fifteen though, so most people never questioned her age. It was her maturity levels showing, as her foster-mom had always told her. Well, her latest foster-mother anyway. She hadn't seen the woman in a few years. No telling if she was still alive even. She definitely wasn't in Gotham City at the time. "Stitch-in-side." She suddenly gasped out as pain laced through her ribs. She blamed her rough night already. She just wasn't prepared for all of this. She slowed down, holding onto one side of her chest with a hand, attempting to relieve the slight build up.

"Do you need me to carry you?" Maki inquired, glancing behind and above them. The Bat could be anywhere. "Or would you rather he caught us?" She disregarded Anna's question to her, content to know that she'd confide in her later. After all...there was a man in Gotham who had answers about her father's death. A dark shadow covered them as the largely muscled man descended from the top of a red brick building.

"Too late," the younger girl muttered as Batman dropped down in front of them. He was intimidating, and Anna found herself stepping closer to Maki. As if the older girl could hold her own against the Bat. "What-it's a-free world." Anna snapped, giving Batman the 'I am so not scared of you' look through her hair that had fallen into her face. She refused to show fear to this guy who was chasing her. She dug in her pocket, remembering she had sunglasses, suddenly. Dark purple, wrapped rim ones too. She fiddled with them, but didn't put them on.

"...," The batman was quiet for a few seconds, seeming to study them. "You're in Gotham...That's my turf..."

Turf? Seriously?" Anna whispered to Maki, ignoring the older man and crossing her arms over her chest. She wanted her other clothes now. She was missing her jacket.

"...Come with me. You two shouldn't be wandering around unattended. I propose that you leave Gotham immediately," Batman told them in his low gravelly voice.

"Not a chance," Anna muttered under her breath.

"Then you'll come with me...I've got a team you two are going to become a part of," Batman informed them. Anna's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I'm not really a 'team' player-," she started to say.

"That wasn't a suggestion," Batman replied, cutting her off. She felt cold now. She really wanted to go find her normal clothes, and make herself more comfortable. At least pick up her jacket somewhere. It was kind of cold, considering she was still wet...and she had an annoying stitch in her side that hurt.

"Excuse me...," Maki stepped in front of Anna to face the Dark Knight. "But what makes you think that we will cooperate with your team. We may be spies for all you know."

She narrowed her eyes. Anna had given her every reason to trust her over the past few years. But a small amount of other people earned that privilege. She measured the situation. It did not look good...and ultimatums were ugly things. _What would Oto-san do?_ She thought grimly.

"If you refuse to come with me...I will have to force you out of Gotham...The situation would become quite ugly," Batman told them. Anna bit her thumbnail worriedly. She couldn't leave Gotham. Not now. She'd only just arrived. She tapped her friend's shoulder.

"Maki-chan," she murmured, in a whisper," Perhaps we should go with him...It might give us more insight..." She spoke louder," I'll have to get some new clothes first...You kind of caught me at a bad time...I...er..." She suddenly turned red, but the Bat gave no sign of noticing. "Ri-i-i-ight...Okay...I've got some stuff not too far from here actually...you're welcome to uh...follow...I promise we won't run..." Yet. "Ri-i-i-ight...okay... Um... Maki?" She questioned, and indicated the direction she needed to go. Really, she just needed to pick up her black jacket that zipped up in the front. Everything else was fine. She had her sunglasses that would hide her eyes anyways. That way no one would know who she was. Hopefully.

Maki stared at him for a few seconds then turned her head to glance at Anna from over her left shoulder. "You go get your jacket. I shall stay here until you return so that he does not suspect that we are...running off."

She moved her head back to the famous Batman and held his gaze. Holding her head high she told herself, _I am like stone. I shall not yield...I shall not show weakness._ "Please, tell me more about this team?"

The shorter and younger girl bobbed her head up and down in a jerky quick motion. She was shy around new people, not liking to really express herself. One or two people were fine; the thought of meeting a whole bunch of people had her crying on the inside and wishing for some of Castor's confidence. She bite her bottom lip nervously before hurrying away to go find her second stash of clothing. She doubted the Dark Knight would let her wonder off, but was relieved when he didn't appear to go after her. He hadn't asked for his partner either, so he must've found the younger boy and woke him up...younger boy...She briefly thought it possible that they were the same age actually. He seemed mature...but still young in a way. Like her. She hurried and dug through her spare backpack, finding her thick black jacket with the white fur trim around it. When she'd decided to be a platinum blonde, she'd worn this and gotten her energy levels to keep her eyes a steely blue color. That's the good thing about energy-life was never boring with it. She slipped into the jacket, zipping it up and taking comfort in it. She had on the dark purple wrapped around rim glasses that prevented anyone from seeing her real eye color. Green. Born naturally green, but that never stayed one shade of green. She could live with the dark purple blouse and the dark jeans. The black boots were fine also. She was happy so far; she shoved her hands into her pockets and began to wander back.

-back to the Bat talking to Maki-

"...It is a group known as 'Young Justice'," Batman informed her, not seeming to have any real emotion over these facts that he was stating for her. He took a few minutes before he continued onwards - seeming to contemplate what was worth telling her and what wasn't. "...A small sub-group to the Justice League...You will meet the members yourself and discover them for yourselves..." He added in that fact as Anna wandered over to them again, seeming as spaced out as a hippie on 'shrooms. One could tell by the relaxed way her shoulders were lolled and she was twirling a strand of hair around one of her fingers. She stopped beside Maki, and seemed to realize that the Batman was watching her. Her shoulders instantly became tense, and she dropped her hand to her side while her head dipped forward slightly. Even without being able to see her eyes, one would guess she was staring at the ground again. She was intimidated by the Batman, yes.

The Japanese teen reached out and took the younger girl's hand. "We can run our own missions as long as we supply aid to your team for various missions...Am I correct?"

This might just work out after all...if they were allowed freedom in return for back up every once in a while...perhaps their time in Gotham would not be in vain. She slightly tightened her grip on Anna's hand. "I will need to retrieve my things from my hotel room, you understand. Anna as well...though she is well prepared for...emergency situations, we will need certain supplies that we brought with us. If it doesn't interfere with your scouting tonight, you can accompany us."

"...you are correct," he told her with a slight incline of his head. "I, however, have far more pressing matters to attend to..." His gaze seemed to drift from Maki to Anna," Such as a new face in Gotham City." He was referring to MindFreak. Anna's hand tightened reflexively around Mika's hand, painfully tight. She only relaxed when the Bat seemed to leave. Wait-

"How does he expect us to get there?" Anna murmured, letting go of Maki's hand to brush at her hair. She didn't remove the sunglasses though.

"Oh. He expects me to take you," a familiar male voice called out from the shadows. Anna was immediately behind Maki, using her more like a shield before peering out into the dark around them. Robin stepped out into the light, hands up in a slightly 'defenseless' gesture of peace towards them. "You can call me Robin. I'm a member of Young Justice...which you've been cordially invited to join." He was smiling, er smirking, at them though.

"Invited my butt," Anna muttered darkly," More like threatened to join or get kicked out of Gotham..." She gently touched a finger to Maki's arm. "Come on...Let's go get your stuff okay..." She was regretting her hasty departure of her old apartment now. She didn't have a backup mask. Her flimsy black one was gone with her other stuff. Paranoia. What can you say? She studied the newcomer, Robin-or Boywonder as he was referred to-from behind her tinted shades. He was pretty shapely, in a scrawny kind of way. He looked like he was very intelligent too, with a good sense of humor. However, she didn't really know him.

~ An hour later ~

Duffel bag over one shoulder and Anna's hand in her own, Maki and her team mate followed after the young boy. Maki studied him the entire time...he couldn't be much older or younger than Anna. Which would put him at twelve or thirteen...Ahead the boy was rattling on and on.

"So you two are new in town. Don't worry - Bats does the Jedi mind thing all the time...you get used to it. He probably knew you were in town from the moment you walked across the city limit!" He chuckled to himself, "You're right to be cautious though. You've probably been playing super hero yourself for a few years now, big sis!"

Maki blinked. Jedi mind tricks? The boy seemed to have them himself. "You have worked with Batman for a long time...I have heard many stories of you two."

The boy acted as if he hadn't heard her and led them into an ally way. "Alright...before we go in, introduce yourselves!"

"Excuse me?" Maki tilted her head to the side. Which name, exactly, did he want to know?

"You know - what's your super hero name?" He wiggled his fingers with a grin at the girls.

"I am Phoenix. This is Castor."

The boy pressed a button on his glove, grin still on his face. When a holographic screen appeared, he began typing furiously on it with his right hand. Finally, he spoke. "_Computer update - Castor – B-13_."

He nodded at the phone booth and waited. Knowing how shy she was, Mika turned to Anna and whispered. "Go inside...I'll be right after you."

Watching her partner reluctantly let go of her hand and step inside the old, broken phone booth, Mika had to close her eyes tightly when a flash of light erupted from within the rectangular box. She opened her eyes to find Anna gone.

"Your turn!" Robin laughed, "_Computer update - Phoenix – B-14_."

Recognizing it as her turn to enter the phone booth, she took a deep breath, steeled her mind, and stepped inside to meet the bright light.

Anna hadn't been listening to the boy talk as Maki had gathered their things. Now she focused on where they were. A...telephone booth? What the hell? She bit her bottom lip nervously, not wanting to let go of Maki's hand. Superhero name? She was glad she had Maki to speak for her, and trembling with nerves-released the other one's hands. Step through? Right behind you? Why did that not reassure her at all? She took a deep breath and stepped through, to a whole new world.

"_Recognized. Castor. B-13_," a mechanical female voice seemed to say. Anna was glad for her shades - they stopped the harsh light from blinding her completely. She froze though, after stepping through at the scene before her. It felt like one of those moments...when everyone's talking, but suddenly stops at your arrival. She swallowed nervously, and bit her bottom lip.

"Welcome," a perky female voice said and she turned to find herself very close to a green and red-headed...female.

"Wah~!" Anna cried out, quickly stepping away, hands up in a 'Don't hurt me' position. The red-headed girl titled her head slightly in some confusion, but smiled none-the-less.

"I'm M'gann. You must be new," the green-one said, offering a hand to her to shake, "Conner! Come say hi!" She called out to someone else. Anna couldn't stop from trembling slightly. The girl was green...very very very green. Where was Maki when she needed her most? Another boy approached them. Tall, muscular, dark haired...looked like a small version of superman in a way. Might be the emblem on his chest with Superman's logo. The boy didn't say anything, just studied her darkly with arms crossed over his chest. Yeah. Intimidating.

"Hello beautiful~," another voice called out and something zipped through the air quickly. Suddenly an arm was draped across her shoulder and she found herself staring at a red-headed boy with freckles. Total stranger, touching her in such a friendly way.

A hand griped the red headed boy's wrist and twisted. He pulled away with a slightly shocked "OW!"

Maki stood in front of him and Anna, eyes glaring at him over the top of her mask. "It is rude to be so overly familiar with someone you have not even met. Much less a young girl who is obviously shocked and not wanting of your advances."

"Um...sorry?" Wally's face hosted a confused expression and he looked back and forth between the girls. "So, ah...who are you? Two. Who are you two?"

A third bright flash illuminated the cave and dimmed. _Recognized. B-01. Robin_. "Batman added them to the team. They're gonna help out on some of the really big missions."

Maki hooked the edge of her mask with her fingers and lowered it to hang around her neck. The mask was very comfortable and she always had to pause during the moment that the first touch of cool air kissed her lips after she had been wearing the opaque material for a while. "_Hai_...my name is Maki O'neil...and my companion is very shy. She will introduce herself when she is ready."

The ginger kid seemed to shake off his initial shock and moved forward to Maki with a grin. "Hi, yourself, gorgeous!"

"Don't you ever stop?" A very angry blonde had appeared by his side to punch him hard on the shoulder. The boy turned to glare at her while rubbing his arm.

"DUDE! What's your problem? Any more of those and I'll bruise!"

"Oh you poor, delicate baby," She replied sarcastically, crossing her arms. "Stop acting like an idiot and I wouldn't have to keep reminding you that you're an idiot."

The girls stared at the scene before them. These were their new team mates...

"You get used to it!" Robin laughed and walked past them, further into the cave.

Anna bit her bottom lip nervously. All of these kids were definitely older than she was-most around Maki's age, but she'd been immediately assimilated into the grouping of older teen. Like always. She was glad to have Maki beside her though, as her support. She knew she was shy, and didn't like how everyone was looking at her expectantly for a name. So she was startled when another voice spoke up beside her.

"You may call me Kaldur," an almost african-american boy said, except he had webbed toes and feet and gills. So...was he technically American. He offered a hand slowly. His mannerisms were very slow and polite and proper. LIKE MAKI. Anna accepted his hand quickly, showing more emotion towards him then the others.

"You can call me A-aaaah," she said, frowning and freezing with a tense look on her face as if she'd done something wrong. Kaldur smiled gently.

"It is fine if you do not wish to disclose your true identity," Kaldur told her and released her hand.

"Yeeeeeaaaaah, we'll just call you Cas for short. You know, Castor...Cas?" the red-headed said with a grin, he hooked a thumb to his chest. "I'm Wally...you can call me the Wall-ster." He winked at her and Anna felt a little bit disgruntled. The blonde smacked him in the back of the head. "Oooow~! Hey..." He grumbled rubbing his head," Yeah. My lovely companion here...who likes to pretend I'm her punching bag, is Artemis..." He rubbed his head, grimacing.

"...," Conner sniffed the air, before looking around. "Something's on fire..."

"OH NO!" M'gann gasped, before flying off, "MY COOKIES!"

"...uh-oh...I'd better go...uh...see if she needs help," Wally said with a wink at Maki," I'm sure Kaldur-being the leader and all-can show you around." He gave them a two-finger salute.

"...It would be my pleasure to show you around...if you would like that," Kaldur offered them. Anna shrank slightly back on Maki, not sure what to do now. The Bat hadn't really said anything to them. The girl called Artemis gave them a distrusting look.

"How'd you two get here anyways?" she all but growled out, she had a low voice and seemed un-interested with the answer.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Kaldur-san," Maki bowed slightly. He was very proper...a good trait to find in someone. "A tour would be most appreciated. As to how we got here..."

She cut her eyes to the blonde. The girl, Artemis, was acting nonchalant...as if she didn't care about the new comer's arrivals at all and was just asking out of courtesy. But there was a dark seed of distrust in her eyes. Maki decided on a vague answer, "We arrived through a phone booth."

"Please, follow me. The rooms are this way - you can find a place to put down your things." The dark skinned Atlantean bent down and picked up Maki's duffel bag; she had dropped it in a rush to deflect Wally's attentions away from Anna. She let a genuine smile loose at the boy's generosity.

Anna's eyes flicked from Maki to Kaldur from under her shades-Wait. Sunglasses. DUH~! As long as she kept a relaxed stance, no one would guess what she was really feeling. She felt like slapping her forehead with her hand but refrained. Then she glanced at Artemis who seemed irritated by life in general. What was her problem? Did she just not like the idea of more team members? That was fine by Anna. She didn't want any team members, except for Maki. She was only here because she needed to get stuff done in Gotham...though...being here might help her out with some other things. She felt a corner of her mouth twitch at Maki's humorous response. At least it was funny to here. The...What was Kaldur? Kaldur looked like he was faintly amused but knew better than to show it. He seemed like he was trying to appear calm and stoic. Good qualities for a supposed 'Leader'. She wondered what made him the leader and not everyone else. Well, Artemis didn't seem like a real team-player if her first impression was to go by. Anna supposed she wouldn't trust newcomers either. She didn't trust any of them here, except for Maki, and even then she was keeping secrets from her. Secrets about MindFreak. She realized she'd stopped paying attention and the other two had walked off, leaving her with Artemis. She quickly hurried after the two.

"This is where we train...with Black Canary," Kaldur indicated the round looking area in the certain," It is also where we get Mission assignments from Batman. He is in charge of that...Our...'den-mother' is Red Tornado..." He indicated a person who seemed to be working on a glowing screen-that wasn't connected to anything. A projection. Now THAT Anna found cool. Her fingers twitched slightly, as she wanted to go play with it. She loved tinkering with things and finding out how they worked. Her problem didn't arise from taking the objects apart...It was putting them together that got her into trouble. The red-figure turned at the sound of his name, approaching them.

"Kaldur," he said in way of greeting with a very robotic sounding voice. Warm though. Metallic. This guy looked like a robot and Anna felt dread creeping into her stomach. Wait, hadn't she heard of him before. Red Tornado...Nope. Couldn't place him. He seemed to examine the other two. "Batman will be here soon...to deal with you two." Anna wasn't quite sure she liked the sound of that. "Until then, please enjoy the facility. I am sure the others will make you feel right at home." He turned back around and went back to whatever he'd been up to. Anna was put on edge by this guy, and she blamed MindFreak for it. The reddish metal. Yeah.

"If you'll follow me," Kaldur indicated, leading them through to some more room areas. "These are the rooms. The only ones who really live here are M'gann and Conner." He indicated the doors that led to each of their rooms. "Will you two be staying here?" Anna could make out the faint smell of burnt cookies and arguing from what had to be a kitchen area. At Anna's questioning tilt of her head, Kaldur commented," That is the kitchen. I believe most of the team is there." Wally poked his head out.

"Hey ladies~! Anyone want some sugar? Wally-style," He said, with a grin that said he thought he was all that and more.

Maki gave him a wry expression," No thank you."

The boy seemed friendly...but a little too friendly. Maki and Anna would have to teach him otherwise. It was never good to be _too_ open with someone you don't yet know. She took in his 'love-me' emerald green eyes and wide grin. He would most certainly become a heart breaker in the future...perhaps she could tutor him in the ways of how not to offend women. Turning her back to the speedster, she smiled warmly at Kaldur. "Yes, we will be staying here. The Batman has offered us refuge here in exchange for our help on missions...I look forward to getting to know you."

She squeezed Anna's hand and leaned in to whisper. "I wish to get changed...come with me? We should discuss this new situation in private."

It wasn't that she didn't trust the team (though that was more or less true but she and Anna needed to lay ground rules for themselves. How far were they going to allow this to go? Would they see it fit to let themselves get personally close to this group?

Sugar? The boy wanted sugar? Anna suppressed a shudder. What was with older boys and hitting on her? Maki, she could understand. But not herself. She didn't know quite what to say to any of that, so she kept quiet. She jerked startled at Maki's sudden statement. Staying...here? No. No no no no no. She was joining the team, but she sure as hell wasn't living here. That was too personal. A reassuring squeeze of her hand and she gave her friend a hidden look behind her shades.

"WHOA~!" Wally suddenly exclaimed, spraying cookies over the back of them. He'd zipped around them for some reason and plunked his arms around their shoulders-apparently not having learned his earlier lesson. "Hang on!" He backed away from them, waving his hand in the air before him with the cookie. It looked singed and it smelt burnt. "Whoa whoa whoa! Hang on~!" Anna pulled her hand from Maki's and glared at the boy from behind her shades. Wally wiggled the cookie at her, then Maki. "Are you two...you know?" He shrugged helplessly and Anna felt her face heat up as blood rushed to it.

"N-no! Ew~!" Anna exclaimed, burying her face in her hands suddenly with a shudder. "That's beyond gross. Maki's my like...Older sister-it'd be incest a-a-and-"

"And it wasn't Wally's place to get involved anyways," a voice murmured into her ear. Robin. She jerked in surprise, whirling around to face him and he put his hands up in an 'easy-defenseless' stance. "Just saying. No need to get defensive. Wally needs to learn manners is all...You two go on...discuss what you want...But be quick...Batman's here, and he wants to talk to you two..." He'd changed into civilian clothes, but had dark-wrapped rimmed sunglasses on. Anna was suddenly aware of just how close in height they were and grabbed Maki's hand, waiting for the older one to lead her away so they could definitely discuss this.

Pulling her friend around the group and into a small tunnel, she looked Anna in the eyes...or at least she assumed that Anna was glaring at her. "I understand your hesitation. I do not trust these...children...either. With the exception of two of them...they seem to have never been faced with harsh reality..._hai_...they are crime fighters...but have had no personal horrors...they are still young. You are far more mature than that fire-headed boy." She took a breath, weighing her words. "We need a steady place to call home...for now. You know I will always be there to help you...however, I cannot stay in many more rundown buildings...and my monetary source is...scarce. This, for better or worse, is the best option for us right now."

Anna crossed her arms over her midriff, just beneath her chest despite her jacket hiding the curves. She turned her head away from her friend, resuming glaring at the wall as if it were to be faulted. "Home? ... There's a saying... Maki-chan... That home is where the heart is... Is this where your heart is going to reside?" She tugged her sunglasses down to look her friend in the eye squarely. Her green eyes burned brightly with inner rage. Anna had temper problems. That much could be agreed on. "I don't WANT to stay here... But..." She sighed as if resigned. "If we have to...then I will..." She closed her eyes tiredly and pinched the bridge of her nose, holding the sunglasses in one hand. She looked tired, extremely as if even coming up with a coherent thought. She sighed and shook her head.

"Hey, Batman's calling a meet-," Robin's voice cut in and trailed off. Anna kept her eyes shut and slipped her glasses back on again before giving the boy a pointed look beneath her shades.

"Coming...," She murmured, glancing back at Maki," I don't like it...but we might as well go along with it right? Can't be THAT much worse than what we've been through..." She kept her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if holding herself together by sheer will as she made her way forward without waiting on Maki to follow. Robin tilted his head slightly but seemed to dismiss any action.

"This way," He offered helpfully to Maki, indicating the direction," It's not good to keep Batman waiting... Maybe it's a mission...you two will probably be briefed on it...If he lets you go this time."

Maki – who's hand had been out to stop Anna – dropped her arm to her side with a defeated huff of breath. Her eyes held a tone of understanding, under layered with hurt. She nodded to her young guide, "_Hai._"

** A/N**

**Anna: **Please review!

**Maki: **It would be very helpful to us if you let us know what you think. *friendly smile* And I promise I will try to translate as much of my Japanese as I can.


	2. Chapter 2 An Amusing Start

**Disclaimer: We do not own YJ. Not that rich or creative. We do own the two NEW characters we're throwing in – Anna Winter/Castor and Maki O'neil/Phoenix. Enjoy~**

**Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. Their journey takes them to Gotham where their lives become entwined with the legendary Batman and the new team known as Young Justice. **

**Chapter 2: An Amusing Start. **

Anna was not impressed, not in the slightest. "You know," She commented drily as the rest of the group studied the iron rusted gates before them," I've never once been to an Amusement Park before...and I think I know why." She spoke quietly, but her surroundings seemed to take her words and warp them as they traveled around her. The area was densely packed with fog that smothered everything around them. To her right was Maki and to her left was Robin. Behind her were Artemis and Kid Flash. Kaldur was before them and just slightly to her right. Superboy and Miss. Martian were to her right and behind also. This was a pretty big group of kids to be here.  
>"It's a big place," Robin told her and she tried not to look freaked out by his mannerism of guessing just what was on her mind. He flashed a smirk as if knowing even that.<br>"We do not have to get up on the roller coasters do we?" Anna asked, glancing around her but focusing on Kaldur who glanced back at her.  
>"No...we are surveillance first and foremost," Aqualad replied, before turning to look at the gates. Anna wasn't too sure how they planned on getting into the park. Was someone going to vault over and open it for them? There was a huge lock and chain keeping it closed also. She wasn't too good at the hopping up over fences ordeal either. She idly twirled a strand of hair in her fingers and noticed that Artemis was whispering to Kid Flash about something...her choice in outfit. She glanced down at herself. Okay. So she had on a jacket, blouse and pants with tennis shoes, also her sunglasses. That was good enough right? What more did they need?<p>

Maki glanced over at the girl then cleared her throat. The chatter behind them stopped almost immediately…then Kid Flash leaned into the space between the two new girls. "So babes…who wants to take a little trip down the tunnel of love with yours truly?"

The Japanese girl rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach, without saying a word. As the boy in yellow doubled over with a defined 'Oof', Maki stepped forward and locked eyes with Aqualad. She judged the distance between herself and a few feet on the other side of the gate. Taking a deep breath, she broke into a run, jumped to catch the one bar of metal that stretched at the top of the gate. Shifting her weight, she swung herself over the bar and consequently over the top of the gate. She landed on the concrete smoothly and glanced to her sides. As in most theme parks there was a maintenance room nearby. She took off to her left, moving to the dilapidated building that had only one window – and even it was a mess of broken glass…probably broken recently from overzealous children throwing things.

She moved a few pieces of large, potentially dangerous, glass and moved her fingers slowly along the edges of the window frame till she brushed over a latch. Within seconds, she had the window unlocked, up, and had moved inside the room. She shivered…what little light that the moon had provided was now diminished in the old dusty building. She hated pure darkness…it made her feel completely helpless – a feeling she couldn't afford while on a mission. She gingerly picked up a glass shard that was as big as her forearm. Holding it outside the window, she waited for the fog to pass over the moon. Once the sphere was clearly visible, she angled the shard to reflect a stream of silver light over various areas of the room. Finally, the light landed on a rusty pair of bolt cutters.

Snatching them up, she dropped the glass and exited out of the window. By the five minute mark, she was back at the gate, holding the cutters out by her side. Mask covering her face, she smiled with her eyes. "Tickets, please?"

She applied all of her weight onto the bolt cutters as she severed the chains that kept the gate closed. Then, Maki stepped aside so that the team could join her inside the park. Wally piped up, good naturedly, "Seriously, babe, what took you so long?"

"And that's what I call a nice entrance," Artemis remarked, a new look of slight approval on her face for the ninja-girl. Anna was quiet and headed forward to enter the park.  
>"I think we're going to have to split up on this one," Robin suddenly said, as he pulled up some sort of projection of a map from his wrist. Anna stared at it intently. This was definitely a big park.<br>"I believe that would be a good suggestion," Kaldur agreed and looked at the rest," Groups of two. Miss. Martian - keep us in contact." The red-headed gave a slight jerk of her head in agreement and one of Anna's eyebrows rose.  
>Kid Flash leaned forward to whisper into Anna's ear. "We don't need the psychic link, babe, I can tell you that you're definitely on my mind right now." Anna tensed and was saved by Artemis grabbed Wally's ear painfully and pulling him forward.<br>"Dude, seriously lay off it. I don't think either of them is into you," Robin put in, gently touching Anna's arm. She didn't shrug it off or pull away so he took that as a good sign.

"Very well, Kid Flash...you are Artemis will pair off on this one. Check out the game section. Robin and Anna, you two can tackle the funhouse. Miss. Martian, Superboy-you two will look into the kiddie ride sections and possibly the remainder of the roller coasters," Kaldur said and turned towards Maki," That will leave you with me if you do not object. Alright?" Artemis crossed her arms over chest and scowled, but didn't argue. Anna glanced at Maki to see if it was okay or not for this arrangement.

"You are our leader for this mission," She nodded at Aqualad with soft eyes. "I am fine with this arrangement. Anna?"

Her almond eyes glanced at her sunglasses-clad partner. Her eyes seemed to ask the question _'Is this ok with you, Anna-chan?'_ She knew how much will power it would take for the younger girl to accept another partner. It was several missions in before Anna stopped attacking her while on the same case. A year in before Anna called Maki a 'friend'. Trust was not an easy thing for the black and purple haired girl.

"Indeed," Aqualad said with a slight incline of his head. Artemis and Kid Flash walked off into the park with Superboy and Miss. Martian before they disappeared into the fog of the amusement park. Anna took a deep breath and nodded to Maki, to indicate she was fine. Kaldur waited, watching over them to make sure the arrangements were fine between everyone. Robin tapped his wrist, turning off the schematics screen. He waited, noticing Anna seemed extremely tense.  
>"Come on...the sooner we investigate this disturbance, the sooner we can leave," Robin told her seriously. She nodded curtly and followed him into the amusement park. Kaldur glanced at Maki.<p>

"Coming?" He questioned, turning to go.

Maki closed her eyes for a brief moment then reopened them to look at Aqualad. "_Hai_."

_ The teens filed into the large room where Red Tornado and The Batman stood, overlooking large holographic screens. Maki took her place by Anna who was still avoiding her gaze. She needed a few moments to calm down. When all eight kids stood in front of the two Leaguers, Batman nodded to the screen behind him, which played various short video footages. _

_ "These are clips from the security footage at the nearby theme park. Gotham authorities have been getting disturbance reports. You are to investigate the surrounding area then report back to Red Tornado when you have confirmed the cause of the disturbance."_

Anna shuffled along, dragging her toes of her scuffed soft-suede leather boots with her and listening to it echo throughout their surroundings. They were a dark brown color and her dark blue-jeans were rolled and tucked into them as the boots reached half-shin length. Her dark purple blouse was hidden in her thick black jacket, the hood's fur-trim ruffled in the air at a sudden gust of chilly wind. Her hair swept around her, getting tangled up in her face and she was forced to raise up a hand to manage it.  
>"You should really consider a ponytail," Robin's voice cut in quietly. He had kept beside her at the same pace despite her attempts at speeding her stride to leave him behind. Bad choice on her part. He just seemed slightly amused by it all, and she knew he was fine with chatter or silence.<br>"My hair's fine," She mumbled, not very clearly. She reached up to fidget with her sunglasses, simply because she could. Most would wonder how she could even see at night wearing shades like these, but she was relying on the feedback she was getting from reading energy signatures around her. Sometimes that didn't work too well.  
>"You know, Artemis might have a spare one? Or even your friend Maki," Robin continued, in a pleasant tone as if they were having a normal conversation instead of the forced one. That's what it felt like to her anyways. "So... Castor... How'd you pick that name?" She gritted her teeth, but kept her face composure from changing. She was tense though, and her arms were crossed over her chest tightly. She turned her head slightly to glance over at him, and then stopped as they were instead in front of the 'Funhouse'. There was a comical picture of a clown and the entrance of which was the clown's mouth. Really weird actually.<br>"Does that scream 'fun-time' or what?" She asked sarcastically, glancing again at the guy beside her. _'Wonder if he even knows what a fun-time is,'_she thought darkly in her head, unaware of the fact that M'gann had already linked the team telepathically and that she'd just projected the message to the entire team. This was going good so far. Robin's mouth twitched as if he found something funny, then he swept his arm out to show the entrance of the 'fun-house'.  
>"Ladies first?" He questioned.<br>"Oh sure," she replied, arms firmly over her chest. '_Like hell I'll be going in first. Creepy dark tunnel. No way'_ she told herself with a slight shudder, arms still tightly around herself.  
>"Fine, I'll go first... Keep right behind me, okay?" he asked, pointing it out in an attempt to keep her with him though. She nodded and followed him into the dark tunnel, staying not more than a step or two after him.<p>

****** (Wally/Artemis) ******  
>"Oh man... The vendor's are all out," Wally said, sounding depressed as the pair stopped beside an abandoned pretzel stand. "I'm hungry..." Artemis rolled her eyes.<br>"You've got a serious problem, you know that?" She snapped, scanning the area around them for any signs of the disturbance. Nothing yet. She had one hand on her hip, and turned back to study Kid Flash.  
>"What? I've got a high-metabolism," He muttered almost defensively," I wonder about those two new girls... Maybe I should've called dibs... Hey... Do you think Kaldur is into that Maki girl?" He tilted his head as if seriously contemplating it.<br>"Who cares?" Artemis grunted out, and turned as a shadow moving caught her attention. Something was dashing away from them.  
>"I saw it too!" Wally snapped, and the two took off running at a pretty normal speed after the elusive shadow shape, uncertain of what or who they were really chasing.<p>

****** (Maki/Aqua Lad) ******

Maki tensed when she heard Anna's voice clearly in her mind. '_Wonder if he even knows what a 'fun-time' is… __Like hell I'll be going in first. Creepy dark tunnel. No way…' _

Maki turned to Aqualad. "I believe this," she pointed to her head, "is what Martian-san meant when you told her to link us up? She is…psychic?"

The dark skinned boy inclined his head. "Yes, she is. It is how we communicate when we are on stealth missions. It is quite useful."

How peculiar…She would have to temper her thoughts; though it probably wouldn't be an issue…It was not as if she thought in English - she was Japanese first and foremost. Concentrating on not thinking aloud, she stated, "Are we not on a stealth mission now? Should we resort to utilizing this...," She thought for a second on her wording, "…link?"

"We should be fine for now…as long as we keep our voices low." They neared the area of the park that contained the water rides…the closet being Wally's favorite – the Tunnel of Love. Because both Maki and Kaldur were level headed people, they didn't give it much of a thought as they walked along the edge of the attraction. There was a ledge about two feet wide on either side of the entrance…an employee walkway to make fixing the inside of the ride easier.

Aqualad stepped carefully over a large slate of rotten wood and held his hand out for Maki to steady her own steps. Inclining her head at the polite action, Maki accepted his hand and took a small hop over the board. Steadying her balance, the ninja followed Aqualad into the dark entrance of the tunnel. As soon as the shadows melded around them, Maki involuntarily reached out in front of her to place a hand on Aqualad's back.

The boy stopped and glanced over his shoulder…and Maki herself seemed shocked at her movement. "Ah…_gomen._"

Kaldur paused then his eyes softened. "It is alright. Let us move on."

****** (Miss Martian/Superboy) ******

"Conner…stop it! We're in the middle of a mission!" M'gann's face was hot and she felt the blush all the way up to her ears. Not long into their surveillance, Conner grew bored with the monotonous scenery. So he switched to something a little more entertaining. Now, wedged between the control panel and a major beam of the roller coaster, Miss Martian placed a hand on the red "S" in the center of Superboy's chest.

Superboy let out a huff of breath. All he wanted was just a little time alone with his girlfriend. They were forever interrupted at the cave and school…and Wally…well he just couldn't take a hint. M'gann smiled at him. _'Later…ok? I promise.'_

_ '…yeah.'_

The Martian suppressed a chuckle at her boyfriend's pout…he was so adorable when he got angry! Superboy took her hand and pulled her out from their nook and into the open pathway between attractions. Just as M'gann began to levitate happily, Conner's head snapped to the side…however it wasn't in enough time to keep Kid Flash from crashing into the clone. As the boys tumbled back into the large roller coaster, Miss Martian stared in surprise as Artemis ran up to the three, bow out and arrow knocked.

"Didn't someone just run by here?" The blonde glanced around her in confusion. "Where did they go?"

The coaster moved slightly and groaned as Superboy and Kid Flash removed themselves from the good sized dent in the support beam. Wally cradled his arm and groaned at the chink in the plaster of his cast. "Mom's gonna kill me…"

A peal of laughter echoed around them and all four teens tensed in alert. The laugh was most certainly feminine…

****** (Anna/Robin) ******

"I hate fun houses," Anna grumbled under her breath, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she shuffled forward just behind Robin. The dark-haired boy seemed to have a way of just melting into their surroundings, probably a skill honed from years of being in the Batman's shadow. "How is that anyways?" She suddenly questioned aloud, and Robin cast her a perplexed expression. She made a sudden face and he chuckled quietly.

"M'gann is the mind reader around here," he reminded her softly, but seemed amused none the less. It was probably due to her poor attempt at a conversation. She stuck out her bottom lip in a bit of a pout and continued walking in silence. Robin ventured to continue her train of thought," How's what anyways?" He rephrased for her.

"…being in Batman's shadow," she murmured quietly," I mean…he's the spotlight right. You're his sidekick or something aren't you?" A slight head tilt was her only response. He was waiting for her to finish, so she hurried on. She fidgeted with her jacket sleeves now, just to keep her hands busy. "Well…isn't it weird? Like…isn't he…intimidating?" Robin's mouth twitched into that ghost of a smile.

"Sure. But only if you don't know him," he replied before turning to keep walking. Silence surrounded them, and then suddenly laughter reached them. Maniacal and deep laughter. As if someone had seen something entirely too funny but something only a sick humored person would get. Anna hesitated and Robin glanced back at her. "What's wrong? It's a fun-house...it's got clowns in it." She glanced around nervously though, uncertainty fighting at her. _'I wish Maki was here to advise me on how to handle this…she always says to go with your gut-feeling…and mine's telling me something really weird is going on.' _She thought, her thoughts trickling into the mind-speech that she still didn't realize was up and running for them. Robin seemed to study her intently.

"What?" She snapped," Something on my face or is this another stupid comment about my hair?" She stomped forward, pushing past him to exit the hall of mirrors and into a rather large and dark room. She could barely see in front of her own nose, it was that dark. Just as suddenly as that thought occurred to her, flood lights began to flash on. One by one. In the center of the room was a rather large pillar of some sort and all the lights pointed to the center where a silhouette was seen. Tall, and almost bony in shape. The sudden change from light to dark made it almost impossible to tell who the figure was. A sudden bang startled her and she stepped back as confetti rained down upon her and a large banner unveiled before her.

"Welcome to the fun-house~!" a male voice rang out, with an edge of insanity as the figure threw their arms out to either side of them as if giving a show. The figure threw back their head and let loose more maniacal laughter. The same they had heard earlier throughout the tunnel.

****** (Maki/Aqua Lad) ******

The mesh metallic walkway of the tunnel widened and turned into solid wood. As Maki's eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she weaved in between shadowy hearts and cherubs hanging from the ceiling. _"…nani?_"

Aqualad smiled. "I believe this is the main show room. I have never been to a running amusement park, much less have been on a ride like this, so it is only an assumption."

"I believe you are correct…In Japan…the girls at my school would talk about being on similar rides with the boy that they liked. A rite of passage, maybe?"

"So you have never been on one either?"

"I did not date so I was never given a reason to."

Again, Anna's thought interrupted. _'I wish Maki was here to advise me on how to handle this…she always says to go with your gut-feeling…and mine's telling me something really weird is going on.'_

Maki and Kaldur turned to each other with a confused glance. To the others it might have seemed like just another one of Anna's musings…but the tone of the thought made Maki tense. What was happening? Suddenly the atmosphere of the tunnel grew thicker and goose bumps ran up and down the ninja's arms.

_'Do you feel that?'_ Aqualad sent the thought to Maki, who nodded – eyes narrowed.

_'Hai._'

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

**A/N:**

**Maki: **_**Dare da? (**_**Who's that pokemon?)**

**Anna: *facepalm* Sorry. I think it's the "Tunnel of Love" getting to her head. That was my line. Anyways. Hope this chapter installment was pretty tasteful. Next should be a real joke. **


	3. Chapter 3 Not Your Strong Point

**Disclaimer: We do not own YJ. Not that rich or creative. We do own the two NEW characters we're throwing in – Anna Winter/Castor and Maki O'neil/Phoenix. Enjoy~**

**Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. Their journey takes them to Gotham where their lives become entwined with the legendary Batman and the new team known as Young Justice. **

**Chapter 3: Not Your Strong Point**

Kid Flash, Artemis, Miss Martian and Superboy all looked to the top of the roller coaster – where a petite woman stood, holding a mallet twice her size. Lights kicked on around them and carnival music blared out of the loud speakers. In the glow of the overhead lights, the woman's red, black, and white domino jumpsuit stood out against the white painted wood of the coaster. A grin lit her face.

"HARLEY!" Kid Flash glared up at the female clown. "She's never usually far from _"Robin. I've got eyes on Harley Quinn with Artemis, Miss. Martian and Superboy. What about you? Any sign of Joker yet?"_ he demanded over the psychic link. _"Kaldur, You?" _Joker."

Robin's voice reached their minds, _"About that…"_

_ "Why are there so many voices in my head? I usually have to just worry about one—oh darn. That clowns talking again," _Anna's voice cut in quickly, then there was silence from the two.

Artemis yelled out loud as well as through the link,_ "Robin! Castor!"_

"OH don't worry about, Puddin'! He can't wait to play with that little bird again!" Harley's nasally voice rang out. "So _you_ get to play with _me!_"

"Alright guys, here's the plan-," Wally started but was cut off and shoved out of the way by Artemis.

"OH SHUT UP!" She snarled, bringing her bow up to point towards the villainess. She let fly an arrow, quickly followed by a second one. Neither made their mark as Harley giggled and somersaulted harmlessly out of their paths.

"Nu-unh unh," she called out, wagging a finger at them," Bows and Arrows isn't the name of this game." She stuck her tongue out, pulling one of her eye lids down, "NYAH! This one's called "Catch the clown", Get it? Tee-hee-hee." She raced off, giggling manically.

Superboy snarled and jumped up several levels of the roller coaster, attempting to make a grab at the hysterical harlequin. Superboy raced along the tracks jumping from beam to beam as Miss Martian wove in and out of the criss-crossing slates of wood that held the coaster together. Picking up gravel and stones from the ground beneath them, she used her telekinesis to launch them like bullets at Harley. Using one of the railings to flip herself over like a gymnast, Harley landed on the ground but not before one of Miss. Martian's projectiles grazed her cheek. The woman snarled, feeling a tiny cut open up on her skin.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She shrieked, gripping her mallet angrily as Kid Flash streaked towards her. She swung it around with an angry force, catching the young superhero in the stomach and sending him flying backwards where he met Artemis on her way towards the pair. The duo carried backwards with enough force to crash into the already damaged support beam. It groaned and creaked ominously and Harley stared up at it with slightly widened eyes as she realized what had just occurred. "Uh-oh. Hope my puddin' didn't need that for anything important….Bye bye brats!" She sang out with a cheery little wave as with a final creak, the entire structure crumbled upon the four heroes. She giggled, skipping off happily but still irritated about the slight blemish to her cheek.

****(Maki/Kaldur)****

The series of events happened all at once. First the laugher that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere…then the red alert that Harley and Joker were on the loose. Maki reached behind her and unlatched her katana, pulling it out at an angle so that the oil could spark against the flint that was kept at the opening of the sheath.

Flames licked against the metal of her sword and illuminated a small area around Maki. Reflecting from the light of her fire were several pairs of shining red eyes…a feral sounding growl came from the creatures before they broke into a grin and starting cackling in an almost human-esque manner.

Aqualad placed a hand on the pink, metal wall – sending electricity through it to the control room. Cheesy love music played over the radio as the bright pink and red boats began moving through the water. All around them were hearts, angels, and other frilly things…as well as two white and grey hyenas and three clown-clad goons were stationed at both the entrance and exit of the room.

Aqualad reached over his shoulders to grip the handles of his water-bearers. Quickly charging them, he drew water from the small river that split the room. Swirling his water whips around him, he lashed out in attack at the goon closest to him. Maki jumped out of the way of an incoming sledgehammer; the place she had just stood became nothing but broken wood and a gaping hole.

_'I can see this will do me no good…'_ As quickly as she could, she doused her flame by dipping it in the small water then slashed upwards to cut at the minion attacking her. As Maki handled the goons around her, with a mix between her swordsmanship and martial arts, Aqualad faced the hyenas.

"I am opposed to harming animals, however…" He trailed off as he fought off the two wild beasts. Not even a few moments later…as all five of their opponents lay unconscious…a huge rumbling shook the ground. Maki stumbled backwards, bumping into Aqualad's chest.

"What is that? An earthquake?" She called over her shoulder.

"I doubt it…I can hear metal crushing together. We must get outside, quickly!"

_'Kid Flash…Artemis...Superboy? Miss Martian! Robin? Can anybody hear me?"_

****(Robin/Anna)****

"…Just what kind of freak are you?" Anna snapped, not delighted about getting confetti in her hair. It would take time to get it all back out of there and she'd have to get Maki's assistance. Wet paper…was a drag.

"It's the Joker," Robin snapped, voice seeming to drift from nowhere before she spotted him leaping up at the Joker. Amazingly enough the Joker seemed to have seen it come and dropkicked the boy backwards.

"Idiot-," Anna started but was cut off when he crashed into her and the two were sent flying slightly backwards to crash into the ground. "Ow…Get OFF me." She snapped, shoving at him.

"Jeez, you could've helped," he told her, getting up and offering her a hand up. She glared at him before grabbing his hand and pulling herself up.

"Thought you could handle that yourself," she told him sarcastically. There was a loud bang of a gun and something whizzed through the air before hitting the two and she felt herself pulled closer to Robin as something tied around their torsos. The force knocked them over again, and Anna kept her face turned away from him so as not to bump his. "GREAT…really great." Applause rang out from—probably the idiot dressed like a clown—before the guy walked towards them, tucking the gun back into his pocket.

"Oh look what I found…a strung up little bird…and his little bird-friend," the man said with an almost evil grin as he contemplated the two. "Haven't seen you around before…but meh. Life goes on." He was rambling to himself - that much Anna decided on instantly.

A voice cut into her head again, rather eerily sounding like Wally's from earlier,_ "Robin. I've got eyes on Harley Quinn with Artemis, Miss. Martian and Superboy. What about you? Any sign of Joker yet?"_ he demanded almost rudely. _"Kaldur, You?" _

_ "About that…"_a voice sounding much like Robin's put in.

_ "Why are there so many voices in my head? I usually have to just worry about one—oh darn. That clowns talking again," _Anna thought furiously, trying to keep an eye on the crazy man pacing before them. He'd stopped suddenly as if he had an idea and bent towards them. Anna tuned out the sudden outcry of her and Robin's names in her head, so she could pay attention to him.

"Well well…Time to say your final good byes—OH!" he exclaimed, slapping at his head," I almost forgot…how rude of me…you two can share your final smooch-e-do as well…But don't let my presence bother you." He said, pivoting around so his back was to them.

"I seriously don't LIKE this guy," Anna snapped, turning slightly to glance at Robin," What's the back up plan?"

"I'm still figuring that one out," Robin hissed at her quietly," Give me a second."

"I don't THINK we have a second to spare," She snapped at him, keeping her voice to a low whisper. She stopped when she noticed that the guy had turned around, so she decided to buy herself some time. "Excuse me…But isn't it polite to offer one's name to your captives before killing them?" He seemed slightly taken aback by that. He placed a hand on his chest.

"What? You don't KNOW me?" he demanded, seeming offended. He glanced at Robin. "You should dump this one, she's not too intelligent."

"What?" Anna snapped quickly," I mean COME on, you're the guy DRESSED like a freaking clown—" The guy bent down swiftly, bringing his face closer to theirs, eyes trained on Anna.

"Why yes, but you're the one currently tied up…It's never a good idea to try to irk the one who TIED you up to begin with," he snarled at her. "The name is Joker—"

"How freaking original," She told him and he paused, cut off by that comeback. She turned her attention back to Robin," Did you name him? He gave you a pet-name…He's yours to deal with." She proceeded to ignore Joker now, concentrating on the flow of energies. Then the ground trembled slightly, not from her, but from a new source. "I bet Batman named him," she grumbled under her breath and Joker grabbed her shirt, hefting her and Robin both up slightly.

"So you know Batsy eh? But not me?" He snapped at her.

"Dude, Batman intimidates me. Yeah. I make a point of knowing important people," she snapped at him. She could feel through the energies that Robin was working on getting himself free, but from her position, she'd still be stuck with the insane clown. She couldn't get her energy focused to do anything though, and didn't get to as Joker threw them back down to the ground.

"Pathetic…ABSOLUTELY pathetic…You don't KNOW me…My reputation as a villain in Gotham…I've worked SO hard on it…But YOU-," He shook an angry fist at the two," I'd have expected better from someone acquainted with the Bat…" He glared at the two.

"You got confetti in my hair," Anna said matter-of-factly," I don't care what your name is." He snarled, lunging towards them.

A black-clad figure flew over Anna and Robin's head, boot catching Joker squarely in the jaw and making him stumble back several feet. The fighter landed gracefully and fell into a crouch, sweeping her leg around to catch behind the Joker's ankles, causing him to crash to the glow-in-the-dark graffiti'd concrete.

"MAKI!" Anna had to grin at the sudden take down. "About time."

Suddenly the ropes loosened around her arms and Robin stood up, closing up the razors of his bird-a-rang and sliding it into his utility belt. He gave Maki a grin, "Good job! Where's Kaldur?"

"Outside…there were a few more of this clown's men to take care of. He should be inside soon." She glanced back at the groaning Joker then reached down to help Anna up. She eyed the wet slices of paper that littered her black mane. "It seems we'll have to work on this later…"

"PUDDIN'! GUESS WHAT I DID!" a female voice squealed out energetically as a petite figure somersaulted into the room from one of the main entrances. She skidded to a halt though, upon seeing them standing and her puddin' on the ground. She gasped. "PUDDIN'!" She dashed towards him to help him up," Oh no, what happened? I'll get them for you." She snapped, glaring at them.

"Please tell me her name isn't something ridiculous either," Anna muttered and gave Robin a look.

"It's Harley Quinn," he put in and she resisted the urge to facepalm," Joker named her."

"Figures…," Anna muttered and glanced at Maki," And now what? You wanna let me handle the freak?"

"I did take out the other one…" Maki gestured towards the man in the purple suit. Kaldur ran in from the door at the far wall. It seemed like the goons had taken him no time at all. "Good timing."

"I believe Miss Martian is injured…our link is down and I cannot get in touch with the others." He informed them, staring with a calculated gaze ahead of him at the clown couple. He called out, "Surrender now…The Justice League is aware of our location and will be arriving shortly. It will be easier for in the long run."

"NEVAH'! First you hurt my beautiful face…then my Puddin' Face!" Her red lips turned from a pout to a snarl. All of a sudden it seemed like the anger dissipated from her. She turned and propped Joker to sit up against the wall with a loving smile. "Now you just sit tight right here, Puddin' and I'll take care of this!"

She whirled back around to face them, again pissed off. "Which one of you did this?" She pointed down at the foot print that was smudged in the make-up on Joker's left cheek.

"That would be me," Anna snapped, making a decision," Want some more? Come and get it." She taunted, feeling angry. Partially due to the fact that she hadn't really done anything and it seemed like everyone was protecting her. The crazed female snarled, dashing forward at them and Anna moved to intercept, dodging Harley's attempt to punch her in the face. She pivoted on her right leg and swung up her left in a round house kick taught to her by Maki, quickly catching the clowned female in her midriff and sending her flying backwards. Harley turned it into a somersault when she hit the ground though and glared.

"Cheater," she snarled at her, pulling down an eye-lid and sticking her tongue out," Nyah—" She was cut off as she made a sudden gagging noise and grabbed at her throat as air was cut off from an unseen force. Anna smirked, and with a flick of her hand sent the clown crashing into the wall near her darling puddin' as she liked to refer to him. "One down…none to go."

Robin and Kaldur looked on with a mixture of emotions playing on the duo's face…surprise, annoyance, admiration… The Atlantean reached to put a hand on Anna's shoulder, "Good job—"

Maki grabbed his wrist before it made contact with Anna. She shook her head, " You probably do not want to do that."

"Yeah or it'll be lights out…," Robin murmured quietly under his breath so as the other three couldn't hear him.

Kaldur nodded in understanding," In any case, you did very well for your first mission. Ours, for a team, was nowhere near as successful."

As the adulations were being poured upon the two, Robin was the only one who noticed the Joker moving to shakily stand. His eyes were bloodshot with rage and he pulled a remote with only a single giant red button out of his pocket. "You meddling brats!"

"WATCH OUT!" Robin yelled a warning to his other team mates as he pulled his bird-a-rang back out of his belt and tossed it with skill at the remote in Joker's hands. The clown grunted in surprise and irritation as the silver box hit the floor and slid several feet over to where Harley lay sprawled face down on the ground.

She looked up with a grin, her make-up smudged, "I GOT IT!" Reaching her arm up to the remote, she mashed her finger down on the button. The floor of the fun house shook ominously and the floor swung down from under their feet, landing the heroes in an enormous vat of sticky pudding.

"It's a gift from Puddin'! Get it? Puddin'!" She yelled at them gleefully, "Didn't I do such a swell job Puddin'? Hunh?" His glare silenced her though, and she realized she'd made the mistake of taking over his operation again and trying to deliver a clever little pun herself. "I'm sorry Puddin', I learned from the bestest best though didn't I?" She asked, red lips pulling down into a pout with wide eyes. His face broke out into a grin, and he opened his arms for her. She squealed, tackling him in a hug.

"Of course you did Harls," he said with a little laugh and glanced down at the four heroes covered in goopy stuff," Well, I hate to just leave before getting dessert…but the main course filled me up. You four enjoy though." He said with a cheery little wave.

"OH MY GAWD! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!" Anna screamed in rage," FIRST CONFETTI! THEN PUDDING? THIS NEVER HAPPENED WHEN I WAS SOLO!" She threw her fists down in anger, only to be awarded by a wet plopping noise and her hands being sucked down into the pudding. "RWAGH!" She screeched, struggling to get out. The stuff seemed too sticky though and she glanced over at Maki, her lower lip trembling. "Maki…Make it better."

"I am sorry Anna…the only way to not get stuck is to remain calm…" Maki's eyes softened at her best friend's plight. She wished she could help more…internally, she herself was pissed off at their awkward situation…she was half stuck to Aqualad and only a hand's with away from Anna. Robin was stuck lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, half frustrated and half entertained.

"Guys!"A female's rough voice called out to them from above. A blonde and green head poked over the edge of their pudding filled chasm. "YUCK! What is that stuff?"

"IT'S PUDDING!" Kid Flash launched off the edge forming a cannonball and splashed down into the mess, causing a splatter of pudding to fly everywhere. He slowly floated to the top and when his mouth was finally free he growled. "What is this? Why can't I move? Hey…tasty!"

"WALLY!" Artemis stood over them, covered in the sticky goop. Her eyes burned in rage.

"Where are Miss Martian and Superboy?" Kaldur called up to her, trying to ignore the chaos that was taking place around them. Maki was right – no use in getting upset at this point… He would just have to float there till help could come. Conner's voice carried down to them.

"We're here…though M'gann's still out of it…that clown girl demolished a roller coaster on us." His voice was full of agitation and he clutched M'gann to his chest.

"We will wait then…" Kaldur closed his eyes. This would seem a lot longer than it should be…especially with Kid and Castor splashing around.

"…," Anna took a deep breath and released it slowly in an attempt to calm herself down. The only reason she was really agitated is because she was developing a headache from taking down Harley Quinn with so much force. She was also tired from it and didn't feel like dealing with Wally's childish behavior. When he splashed her with more pudding, she couldn't stay calm any longer. "SERIOUSLY? How freaking OLD are you anyways? TWO and a HALF or something?" She snapped at him. The pudding was coating her face slightly as well as her sunglasses but she could read his energy signature enough to know his location.

"What? Can't a guy have fun in a tub full of pudding…with a babe as beautiful as yourself?" he asked, breaking into a charming smile. She went rigid and her eyes narrowed.

**A/N: **

**Anna: This was a wonderful chapter—Note the sarcasm guys. Took down a clown with a killer kick though. That's a plus.**

**Maki: Yes…your practice most certainly paid off in the long run. **_**Omedetou**_**! **

**Anna: Anyways… Review please? And hope you enjoy the next chapter as much as this one. **


	4. Chapter 4 The First Night is the Hardest

**Disclaimer: We do not own YJ. Not that rich or creative. We do own the two NEW characters we're throwing in – Anna Winter/Castor and Maki O'neil/Phoenix. Enjoy~**

**Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. Their journey takes them to Gotham where their lives become entwined with the legendary Batman and the new team known as Young Justice. **

**Chapter 4: The First Night is the Hardest**

"So I hear you picked up two newbies!" Flash grinned at the darkly clad man in front of him. As usual…Batman's expression remained as stoic as always. His eyes drifted over the Leaguers in the room – Flash, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Red Tornado. Although only Tornado and Canary needed to be here to begin the new sessions of training…Green Arrow and Flash were anxious to meet the new comers.

"They are raw…but have potential." He contemplated out loud.

"Well you know what they say about 'a diamond in the rough'," Canary smiled, blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

The Bat turned to her," That…is _your_ job."

_Recognized. _

All five heads turned at the robotic voice as the teleporter whirred to life. A white flash illuminated the room and as it dimmed, Superboy walked in, supporting a limping Miss Martian. She had a hand on her head and looked completely out of it. Conner looked up at the older heroes. "Uh…we're back."

Black Canary stepped forward to help the Martian but M'gann held up her hand with a strained smile. "No it's ok…I…I've got it." She took a shaky step away from Superboy and straightened, keeping a hand on his shoulder.

Next through the teleporter was Artemis…who was splattered in various places by a pink goo. She was slinging some of it off of her arms with a disgusted grunt. "UGH! This stuff just WONT COME OFF!" She glanced up to look at Green Arrow whose expression went from something of shock to a slightly entertained grin. "Please…Don't. Say. Anything."

***(Gothem Alley Way)***

Maki's hair hung around her in stringy, wet strands. From head to toe, she and the others were completely engulfed in clumps of the strawberry pudding. Anna in particular…well her naturally poofy hair had even more volume to it. It was ragged and clumped in places and the energy she gave off sparked in annoyance…peaking everytime Kid Flash opened his mouth.

"—So this one time –" Before Kid could finish his sentence, Robin pushed him into the teleporter with a slightly sadistic grin. Kaldur followed, shaking his pink covered head. Robin turned back to the girls.

"Wow…déjà vu, right?" He pointed at the telephone booth with a smile. "Second verse same as the first?"

Maki gave Anna a glance and gently patted her head. "I will go through first, Anna-chan." Most of the goo had hardened but some of the clumps in her roots were still congealed. She removed her hand, slowly, so as not to yank out any of her friend's hair. Then, she took a step into the metal booth, and waited as the beam of light scanned her.

_Recognized - __Phoenix – B-14_

A light engulfed her and she was gone.

"Ladies first," He said with an almost mocking tone of voice and an indication of his hand. He didn't seem happy about something though and Anna gave him a thoughtful look. He glanced over at her. "What?"

"…You're upset about something," she said quietly and softly, head dropping slightly so her chin almost touched her chest and her shoulders sank down, "Is it something I did…or…said?" She asked, showing a moment of vulnerability towards the raven-haired boy. His expression didn't change for a few seconds before he shook his head.

"No…I'm more irritated at myself than anything," He said with a slight uplifting of one shoulder," I didn't react as quickly as I should have…and made a few errors that Batman wouldn't have." She glanced up at him.

"But you aren't Batman…you're Robin. You make your own choices and you do what Robin does best," She said with a slight smirk. He returned the smile.

"Yeah…I guess your right…You did a pretty good job tonight yourself you know," He told her and she shook her head, looking down-casted again.

"Nah…I lost my temper again…and I didn't follow anyone's lead on anything," she replied in a quiet voice.

"You said you were solo right?" He questioned her sharply and she glanced up. "So, now you're learning to work with a team…Trust me...It's not that easy learning something new…I'm sure you and Maki work well together…but that's because you know each other well enough…It's like…Batman and me… We work well without speaking because we know each other," he offered her, attempting to lift her spirits before she had to face the others. It was the least he could do. No telling what awaited them in there.

"Yeah…maybe," She murmured, turning to the telephone booth.

"Ladies first," He offered, this time more civilized than before.

"Brains before beauty right?" she retorted, making a mock gesture at him.

"Oh no, you get to go face the music first, pinky," he teased, meaning that her hair indeed had a pink sheen to it. She made a face.

"I don't have any other clothes than these," She muttered, crossing her arms stiffly over her chest. It was pretty hard to do.

"Well get you covered…Either that or I don't know, you can borrow something from someone," he said with an almost uncomfortable shrug of his shoulders, "Now hurry up please. I'd like to get this over with so I can take a shower and get this goop off of me before it becomes any more permanent then it already is." She shook her head, stepping through.

***(Mount Justice)***

Maki stepped through into the wide room and took in the new faces. Aside from Batman and Red Tornado, whom she had already met, there were three smiling adults. The man, whom she would assume was Flash, had a hand on Wally's shoulder – avoiding the goo as best he could – and a wide grin stretched across his face. A blonde man in a green tunic and hood stood next to a stunning beauty of a woman, who was also blonde. Their posture indicated that they were something more than friends.

"Maki," Aqualad gestured to the three in the center. "This is Kid Flash's mentor – The Flash."

"What's up?" His energy was a very happy and care free one…it seemed that crime fighting wasn't the only thing Wally had learned from this man. Aqualad motioned to the Robin Hood-esque figure next.

"And Green Arrow is Artemis's…uncle." The dark skinned boy next motioned to the woman. "And this is our combat trainer, Black Canary."

"How do you do," Canary bowed slightly to Maki who also returned the bow. She knew the manners of her people well. Maki lowered the mask that covered her face and smiled. "I would shake your hand…however I'm afraid we might get stuck."

"Understandable," The woman grinned. Maki knew she'd be someone that she could easily get along with.

_Recognized – Castor – B13- Robin – B01 _

All turned as the final two of their team walked in…tracking yet even more goo across the floor. Kid Flash grinned and zipped over to place an arm over Anna's shoulder.

"And this lovely maiden is none other than a Castor of love," He teased, trying to be smooth. Her tense posture spoke otherwise.

"If you don't remove your arm…I'll remove it permanently," she growled out quietly. Robin passed by quietly, punching Wally in the gut as he did.

"Knock it off already," he said quietly. Anna's mouth twitched slightly but she gave no other reaction. With a bit of effort, Wally pulled his arm back off with a sickeningly squelching noise.

"Alright alright. We'll just talk later then," he said with a grin none the less.

"Castor, It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Black Canary," a fairly attractive woman scantily clad in black clothing offered, her face was kind with an almost motherly expression," I'd offer to shake your hand…but you understand my reluctance." She indicated the goo on them. Anna said nothing, only remained standing there with Wally beside her.

"Hey there. I'm Flash," Flash offered next with a cheery wave, instantly reminding her of Wally for some reason.

"And I am Green Arrow," the final one offered with a slight incline of his head in way of greeting. All seemed friendly enough but Anna didn't trust a single one of them in the room.

"Enough pleasantries…Kaldur, report."

Aqualad moved to stand in front of Batman and began his explanation of the mission…from getting into the theme park to splitting up. He then motioned for the rest of the information from the others. Miss Martian, Kid, Superboy, and Artemis told their side of the mission…admitting to the destruction of the central attraction of the park after fighting Harley. Aqualad jumped back in explaining his own experience while in the Tunnel of Love with Maki and then turned to Robin.

Robin was quiet for a few seconds longer than seemed necessary before launching into an almost detail-less mission report of their side of the story with Joker. Anna stepped forward, tapping his shoulder and cutting him off.

"You tell stories weird," She commented," I antagonized this…Joker character…and got in Robin's way of taking him down…leading to us being tied up…It was my fault also that they got away." She indicated for Kaldur to pick up on the mission details for the remainder of it. Kaldur nodded, noting Anna's revision to how Joker and Harley escaped.

"In the end we were all caught off guard…and we had to endure our failure by being stuck in Joker's trap while Miss Martian recovered enough to get us out." He looked Batman squarely in the eye…regardless of the part that the rest of the team played…he and the Bat had already had this discussion…failure of the team was failure of the leader.

Batman watched the group for a few seconds before sighing and crossing his arms. "How is it that whenever I send you on a surveillance mission no surveillance ever gets done? In any case…the mission was a success – we can now alert the authorities of Joker and Harely taking up refuge in the theme park…we'll have them watch the surrounding areas and the League will keep an eye out for them. Now go get cleaned up."

"FINALLY!" Artemis all but ran to M'gann's room to get changed out of her messy uniform.

"Why is she complaining…she barely got any on her!" Wally sighed then looked down at his cast…grinned and licked a little of the pink goo off of it. "Mmm…strawberry…"

As the team dispersed, Maki shared a look with Anna…they were both down one outfit…and they had yet to retrieve any of Anna's things from her various hiding places. Robin noticed their mutual glances and spoke up loud enough for Batman to hear.

"Hey…you guys didn't bring a lot with you…do you need a change of clothes?"

Maki glanced back at him then down at Anna. She doubted anything he had would fit either of them. "We do, however…"

Black Canary inclined her head and took visual measurement of the two. "Why don't you wait here…I've got some extra training clothing around here somewhere for you to change into."

"…joy," Anna muttered under her breath sarcastically, arms still crossed over her chest. Her sunglasses still had a thick coating of pink strawberry pudding and she couldn't see from them. Her hair had dried in thick, stiff chunks in front of her hair though and that also made it hard to see. Suddenly her sunglasses were plucked from her face, and she threw up her hands to cover her eyes from the sudden increase of light.

"How do you SEE from these things?" Wally asked, turning them over in his hands. "Seriously…this pudding isn't transparent you know…I mean…you've been walking around all this time…and your hairs dried in like…chunks-not that you don't look good with it anyways—but seriously." His last ditch attempt to make it sound smooth and not insulting fell short.

"…I track you by your energy, now give back the shades or so help me-," She snarled, getting angry.

"Wally, give the girl back her glasses!" His uncle frowned at Kid's behavior. Hadn't he taught him better than that?

Maki reached forward to stop Wally's actions but Robin snatched the sunshades from his best friend's hands and she paused. Robin pushed Kid out of the way with a short growl. "I said to knock it off, didn't I? Dude…so not turbing."

He turned, moved some of Anna's hair out of her face and slid the glasses back over her eyes. "There. All better…and don't be afraid to zap him or something." With that, Robin followed Batman out of the cave.

Maki watched the scene quietly. She was so used to being the only one to come to Anna's aid…it had become second nature to them. How…unusual. She had misjudged Robin…when they first met him he seemed to be cross with their joining the team.

Black Canary came back holding a couple of T-shirts and sweatpants. "Here…hopefully they'll fit you…let me know if you need anything else. I'm always here to help."

"Come…lets go pick our room," Maki took Anna's hand and they followed Red Tornado to the living quarters.

*** (one hour later)***

Maki sat behind Anna, cross legged, running a fine comb through her young companion's thick hair. Beside her was a bowl that had balls of bright colored paper in it. Maki's fingers picked out the confetti bit by bit…they had been at this for little over twenty minutes just trying to get Anna's hair back to some semblance of normal. "So…Did you and Robin talk? You were a bit longer coming in from the Ally."

Anna had been quiet for most of the procedure. Picking out their room had been pretty simple actually, considering the two were going to share one and throw up a divider when they got the chance. Anna didn't like the idea of having a strange new room all to herself just yet, she was use to sharing with Maki on occasions and this felt no different. Hearing Maki speak up to her, she briefly considered what to tell her friend. Well, the truth usually worked out for the best.

"Yes…," she replied quietly, before continuing on without any further prompting to," He seemed upset…and I thought it was because of me, considering the first time we met…I kind of put him to sleep on a rooftop." She admitted quietly," However…he was upset at himself…and his ability. He seems to have a devotion to Batman to a degree that I don't quite understand and every little fault that makes him who he is and not who Batman is…bums him out. So I just told him that he is who is he is basically…" She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, considering her legs were pulled up to her chest and her chin was resting atop them with her arms wrapped around them. She didn't like the training clothes they had on. The black t-shirt was about a size too big for her and the pants were even bigger than that. She felt like she was being swallowed whole in them. The sweat pants were of a darker gray material and she'd had to tie some string tightly around her to keep them on. The legs had been rolled up as well.

Maki considered her friend's story for a moment, "_Ame futte chi katamaru_…he will find himself after his hardships are over." She pulled one last square of blue confetti out of Anna's hair and sat the bowl aside. "Now it is time for bed."

Anna had kept herself perfectly still, eyes closed as she allowed Maki to nimbly pluck out the pieces of confetti. Stupid clown, she thought to herself with an inner growl. She almost missed Maki's response to her short story as she contemplated the things they'd had to do today. Other than Mindfreak…Anna had never gone against anyone as strange as the two she had. Listening to the mission report given by the others it'd dawned on her that this group went against some pretty dangerous people. She'd never paid much attention to the news reports for any of the cities she'd visited. That was Maki's job—well, no. Maki just seemed to know everything. She looked up to her older friend, more so than the ninja-girl probably even realized. Anna tried her hardest to be the mature one, so as not to let Maki down. She never wanted to be singled out because of her age. Maki was always so calm, cool and collected. Level-headed.

Moving around to the other side of Anna, Maki turned on the small bedside lamp that had been provided to them before standing. She then crossed the room, turned the main light off, and walked the short distance to her own bed. Laying down under just a thin sheet, she rolled over and murmured, "_Oyasuminasai._"

She watched as Maki stood up, flicking on the table-side light for Anna, before she turned off the big light. Anna's heart skipped a beat as they were doused in sudden darkness. It shouldn't have bothered her, but she was in a strange place and it'd been a tough day. She'd set her sunglasses beside the lamp anyways and glanced at them before laying down. She didn't bother pulling a blanket over her, the giant clothes would act as a good enough barrier. At first she had trouble getting comfortable. The bed was—well, a bed. Not a floor, or some dinky thing in a hotel room. It was an actual bed. Last time she'd been in an actual bed was with her real parents. Her eyes slowly closed and she spiraled into darkness.

_Maki tensed and stared up at the moonless sky. She was in a thick forest standing on a crumbling rock path…before her was a shadowed dojo. A strong wind blew and her short hair tickled the nape of her neck; her stark white skirt brushed against her knees. The building groaned and Maki had to grit her teeth to keep from whimpering. _

_ 'Maki…maki…tasukete…" _

_ "Oto-san!" Maki's voice was hoarse and she gripped her arms as the wind whipped around her with the force of a tsunami. The trees moved in the forceful gale and seemed like arms reaching out to grab her. "Ie!" _

_ Bare feet slamming down hard against the broken and dilapidated steps, the girl ran as fast as she could towards the entrance of the dojo. She gripped the edge of the paper sliding door but it wouldn't budge. Another blast of wind pushing her slightly to the side, Maki turned to dash around the corner of the building…surely—Indeed, the back door to the adjoining building was broken inwards…just as she remembered. Blood stains leading from the wooden floors to the tatami ones told Maki immediately what she would find inside. _

_ Instantly the wind around her stopped and the sudden silence deafened her. Tentatively, she took one step forward…then another. The only sound she could hear was the slow, dull thud of her feet as she shakily walked into the scene that had haunted her for the last few years. As she stood in the demolished doorway, she stared blankly at kotatsu table that had been slammed against the wall and now lay in pieces. Her eyes skimmed over the broken shelves and shattered glass from the family pictures that had been so lovingly displayed throughout her life. And finally they rested on a man in a white suit…a white suit splattered crimson with the blood of her father. _

_ Her eyes widened as Takanari Okubo, one of the greatest swordsmen left in their region, struggled to turn his head towards his daughter. His eyes widened and he reached out his hand to her. In her mind she heard him calling over and over again: Tasukete…tasukete…Maki…chan…_

_ A man, hidden in the shadows of the room, lit a cigarette, took a drag and then fixed his eyes on Maki. "Anata wa saishūtekini anata no kao o mise. Kore wa seitō-ka sa reru." _

_ His words echoed in her ears. Masayoshi…Justice. This was her fault…had she only not gone against her father's wishes and attacked the man involved with slandering her family's name, Oto-san wouldn't be…_

_ Ie. It was worse…so much worse…her father _smiled_ at her. But it was sad…his eyes were apologizing. For what? She had disobeyed him…Those sad eyes full of regret and another emotion that Maki couldn't name focused in front of them and she could feel his spirit leave his body. "OTO-SAN!"_

_ "Anata wa fukō o motarasu. Dono yō ni daremoga anata o shinrai suru koto ga dekimasu ka?"_

_ The scene around her began to fade and she tried desperately to fight the fog of her mind. As the man's statement filled her mind, another rough voice cut through to the forefront of her thoughts. _

_ "__It is a group known as 'Young Justice',_ _a small sub-group to the Justice League...You will meet the members yourself and assist in missions when necessary."_

_ A team? But…she always brought misfortune to others…how could she be of any possible help if she couldn't be trusted?_  
>** (Dream) **<br>She was atop someone's shoulders, and they were running around the back yard with her. She had to be dreaming. She couldn't be here again. This wasn't happening again. Her tiny little arms were outstretched to either side and someone was making airplane noises for her. She felt so free-spirited, that the emotion swallowed her up. She felt like crying, but at the same time she just wanted to live in the happiness of the moment. Bright sunshine washed down, warming her and she could smell fresh laundry that'd been hung out to dry. She let out a giggle as the person suddenly crash-landed, flipping her over their head so that she could land on her feet. She turned around but the sun was too bright and all she could see was the figure's blurry outline. She squinted, trying to make them out but they seemed to become vaguer and distance. Why couldn't she see their face? A hand met the top of her head and ruffled her hair.  
>"Now…let's go see about some grub from mom hunh? Peanut butter and jelly good for you?" The voice asked, smooth and deep but friendly none the less. It was familiar. Who had she been with? They held out their hand for her and she accepted before skipping towards the house. That's when she'd been knocked backwards onto her feet. As a kid, she'd never understood what had happened…but now she knew. It was an explosion. Their house had exploded, with their mother and father still inside. Flames had licked up the side of it and her brother—The figure she couldn't define anymore from her own memory, even though she struggled to recall who he looked like—had dashed inside to try and find them. To rescue them. Her brother had always been the hero sort, never the villain. She'd waited, a five year old, for her brother to come back out with her parents…knowing they'd go to the carnival like planned. This amusement park had come out, and she'd always wanted to go to one before and see the clowns who would paint your face and let you honk their noses. It looked like fun.<br>She shivered as the scene seemed to fade around her, morphing into the abandoned amusement park. She'd come to terms with her families death. An accident, the reporters had said on TV, when a gas line exploded. Killed three people, leaving one. She'd gone through several different foster-families, never getting comfortable with any of them. The wind picked up, blowing leaves with it and seemed to be tugging her into one particular direction. The fun house. She didn't want to go there again. Last time had been bad enough and she'd had Robin. Still, her feet didn't obey her mind and on wards she went into it. It's just a dream. It's just a dream. She repeated over and over, her words felt hollow even to herself. Her breathing was rapid, and her heartbeat sounded extremely loud to even herself. One foot in front of the other as she entered the hall of mirrors. She stopped, turning to look at herself in one.  
>Something evil lurked in her reflections. It was her, but then…It wasn't. It was someone more evil then her. Someone she didn't want to be. She felt tears spring to her eyes, a burning sensation as something warm trickled down her cheek.<br>"Look at you," her reflection spoke back to her, arms crossed over their midriff," A baby. Trying to play an adult game…you don't even have the backbone to do the things I can do. Pathetic…" She shook her head but her reflection smirked. "I can do a lot of things…"  
>"No. I'm plenty strong…Stronger than-," she started out weakly.<br>"Look at how you handled the Joker and his girl," her reflection snapped at her," Relying on a TEAM…bad enough you've got Maki always keeping your back for you. You can't even take care of yourself…Ha!" Her reflection snapped at her, leaning forward—and coming out of the mirror. Anna stumbled backwards away from it. Just a dream. Just a—  
>"Dream right?" Her reflection finished for her," Oh yeah. I'm a nightmare for you. You'll never make it out there…A team's going to slow you down even more…When do you think they'll give up on you? Like your foster families did? Hunh? When do you think they'll realize your nothing but a little baby—a fake…a pretend dress-up hero?" The reflection threw back its head, letting out an evil sounding laugh. "You'll fail… this will just bring you closer to hurting Maki."<br>"I won't hurt her-," Anna protested.  
>"Not on purpose I'm sure," the reflection sneered out, "But she'll slip up trying to PROTECT your weak self from some ATTACK and get herself killed… just you wait and see…" The reflection chuckled, turning back towards the mirror," If it were me…" Its head tilted," In a sense…you are…but…that's beside the point…I'd ditch the team…and Maki…once and for all…" It melted back into the mirror.<br>Anna opened her eyes, or so she thought since she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not anymore. The room looked the same…but Maki was gone. She stood up quickly, heart pounding. Surely Maki wouldn't have left her alone—  
>"You're asleep," a voice cut in. Deep, metallic and oh so familiar. She spun around, coming face to face with Mindfreak who was stretched out on her bed, which looked awkward for him. He had his arms crossed over his chest, head leaned back against the wall and offered almost conversationally, "In case you were wondering…I'm not really even here…" He seemed to look around," Your cute friends gone though…Shame…Maybe I could've tormented your mind a little longer…" A quiet chuckle from him. "So…whose worse….me or that clown?" Anna shook her head, banging a fist into her forehead.<br>"Wake up…..wake up…..wake up," she muttered, eyes squeezed tightly shut.  
>"Oh, I want to help…That looks like fun," Mindfreak quirked up. This was from her mind right. Surely he had a purpose. "Yep. Those are fun too… Deeper meanings…you do that a lot don't you…and you dream about me too…wonder why…am I that captivating?" He tilted his head, and she was certain he'd of smirked underneath the strange mask. If there really was a face there, suddenly he reached up for his mask, slipping it off and revealing the face of the Joker. "Heeeeeeeey, betcha missed me sweetie?" He declared, tossing back his head and laughing maniacally. She was falling again, and into pudding of some sort. "I brought some friends for ya~!" He danced around the edge of her pit, peering down at her as she struggled to keep her head above the gooey concoction. It seemed to be pulling her beneath it.<br>"You failed me," Maki seemed to whisper from above the pit," You are so pathetic and weak…I cannot believe I was your friend this entire time. Who knows what I was thinking." She had her hands on her hips and the coldest expression Anna had ever seen on her face. "You deserve this…" The girl turned and slowly walked away. Anna's face slipped further into the goo, covering her mouth so she couldn't speak but her nose still worked and she was trying to breath calmly but it wasn't working. She felt like she was suffocating and being smothered. A tight pressure on her chest wouldn't let her pull in enough air. Maki was leaving her….She was being abandoned, and it was all because she cared for Maki. Joker peeked back over the edge, an insane smile on his face. The clown creeped her out seriously and she wasn't sure anything about that would change for her. She was crying, unable to move or do anything. Her only chance for survival had walked off and left her here to die alone. All because she was too weak and couldn't stand up on her own. Then Batman appeared, hand reaching down towards her. She was going to be saved after all. Her heart leapt into her throat as his hand touched her head.  
>"Sorry about this," He growled out," But it's for the best." Then he shoved her downwards into the goo, cutting off all of her air<p> 


	5. Chapter 5 Fitting In Kinda

**Disclaimer: We do not own YJ. Not that rich or creative. We do own the two NEW characters we're throwing in – Anna Winter/Castor and Maki O'neil/Phoenix. Enjoy~**

**Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. Their journey takes them to Gotham where their lives become entwined with the legendary Batman and the new team known as Young Justice.**

**Chapter Five: "Fitting In…Kinda."**

Anna awoke to a splash of liquid in her face. She shook her head and sneezed, "Ew…he does NOT know how to make good pudding. It's so runny…"

The bedside light clicked on and Anna blinked up at Maki who was giving her a small, wry smile. "That is because it is water, Anna-chan."  
>The girl's eyes flitted to the small, empty glass in Maki's right hand. Oh yeah…that would make sense. She adjusted her body to sit up and her mattress and pillow made squelching noises that had Anna cringing. Man she hated squishy feeling things…If the dream pudding wasn't bad enough…now she was soaking wet. "Why the sudden bath? Was some of the hair gel from hell stinking up the room?" She lifted a lock of her purple hair and sniffed it just to be sure.<p>

Maki frowned. She had jolted awake from her own horror scene only to find Anna thrashing in her bed. She had tossed and turned so badly that the sheets had begun to wrap themselves around her. If she had been left alone longer, she would have probably cut off her circulation somewhere. Other than that there was the fever...the moaning... Maki had learned long ago not to ask questions when someone doesn't want to answer; she never pressed Anna about her past. Likewise, she never told the girl anything about hers. However...a tiny prickling on the back of the ninja's neck told her that their dreams were probably very similar. Everyone had a breaking point. "You would not wake up. I'm sorry...this was the only thing that I could do, short of injuring you."

Anna sighed, rubbing at her face to rid it of the last traces of sleep. Who needed sleep anyways, that was totally over-rated to begin with. She sighed, slipping off the bed and frowned at her shirt that was wet. It was too big anyways...but wouldn't Canary ask questions-Probably not...but if Wally so much as made a crack about it-she'd slug him. She glanced at Maki, before picking up her shades and slipping them on. She inclined her head towards the door and an almost evil smile passed over it.  
>"Shall we?" She questioned, the smirk turning into a grimace of distaste as she headed for the door. She slipped it open and about had a heart attack as she came face to face with Superboy's fist. Luckily he had frozen in it mid-air, but he'd been in the middle of the action of knocking on their door. His knuckle gently tapped Anna's glasses, even as she reeled backwards and would've fallen had Maki not been there. "What?" She snapped, rudely-not a kind person in the morning time. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at the older boy, glaring at him from behind her shades. She hadn't slept very well, and was going to be quite short tempered with the others today. Conner blinked as if unsure what to do about not knocking and slowly lowered his fist.<br>"...Black Canary sent me to get you two," he said, as if he hadn't even wanted to in the first place but was trying to be nice about it. Anna turned slightly to glance at Maki for direction on this one. Should they follow him...or were they going to do something else?

Maki tilted her head to the side as her stomach began to growl. It had been several days since her last real meal...She could barely eat on the boat ride over and when she got to Gotham, she only had time for a 'coney' before tracking down Anna and finding a dilapidated hotel room to stay in. Then after that it was one thing after another. The pudding was the last substance to enter her stomach. "Perhaps she would allow us to have breakfast first?"

She felt a long lock of hair fall free of her bangs and into her eyes. Using her fingers, she deftly combed her brown hair back and into some semblance of normality. Surely, Canary would understand if they were to have a few personal moments before beginning whatever training the League member had in mind for the two girls. Maki was sure that Anna was hungry as well. She looked down at their sleep rumpled clothes but felt resigned...there was not much that they could do about their appearance at that point in time.

Anna noticed the broad shoulder boy give a slight shrug, but even that looked a bit detached, as if he was trying far too hard to appear normal. Normal was over-rated, just like sleep-but breakfast? That sounded good. Anna's stomach rumbled quietly, and she mentally scolded it for betraying her. Conner led them to a door, which surprised Anna because she thought they'd be headed for the giant room with the hovering screens in mid-air that they'd first seen. No, this was the kitchen. It had all the appliances. Sure enough, she spotted the shapely female with the long blonde hair sitting in a chair sipping from a coffee mug. What it contained, she was uncertain. The woman's eyes lit up when she spotted them, but she gave no other reaction even though Anna felt like she was being picked apart. She knew that her hair would look she'd decided to stick a fork in the electrical outlets. She couldn't help it, it was uncontrollable most of the time anyways. Plus she had on such giant clothes that she probably appeared extremely mal-nourished, which she wasn't. She'd just gotten into the habit of forgetting to eat.  
>"Good morning," a perky voice called out. The green girl-uh...Miss. Martian? Anna couldn't remember her name. She couldn't even remember the one with the broad-shoulders. Superboy? Right? That would explain the emblem on his chest anyways. Unless he was just a really big fan of the man in a blue jumpsuit and red underwear. "Did you sleep well?" The Martian was too perky for her and Anna let her stomach growl be the answer to that question. The green one's eyes widened. "Oh my. Are you ready for breakfast? I've already eaten...but I love to cook. I can make you something?"<br>"...I want a poptart," Anna said and reflexively caught something that flashed through the air. A shiny, wrapped poptart. She glanced over to see who had thrown it and tensed when she noticed it was the sarcastic and mean blonde girl who usually wore the green suit...uh...her name had something to do with the moon. At least she thought she was remembering that correctly. She slowly opened it and was content to find out it was actually a cookies and cream one. The good kind. She broke a piece off, then offered the rest to Maki to see if she wanted to share.  
>"I have planned a simple assessment drill for this morning," Black Canary finally spoke up, having apparently finished whatever was in her cup. "For the both of you...Just to see where your skill levels are at...and what might need work..."<p>

Maki smiled softly to Anna, accepting the breakfast pastry and folding back the foil to nibble at the frosted corner. Her brown eyes quickly scanned the room – from the cheery countertops and bright red sofas to the flat screen TV and its occupants. She tilted her head to the side, popping the joints in her neck – hair falling over her shoulder. "What do you have in mind, Canary-sensei?"

Of course they were probably curious about the two new 'team members' who had joined their ranks…especially those who had kept out of the eye of the media. Still…did they seriously believe that they would show all of their tricks? Maki dared to glance at Anna. There's no way…not even with force…that Anna would reveal all of her powers – if she even knew half of them.

Anna didn't say anything as she continued to forcefully chew on her piece of the poptart. Her hunger satiated, she dusted the crumbs off her hands lightly onto the floor without comment and studied the blonde and shapely woman from behind her shades. The Canary stood up slowly, depositing her used cup into the sink.

"For starters…I want to see where you stand physique and mental wise," she replied in a very neutral tone. "I suspect you found your sleep to be troubled…So I will not push you very hard. New changes and new surroundings can be unkind to certain individuals. When you are adequately fed, you will find me in the training room." She headed off without another word.

"Why do I get the feeling that she's going to try and 'talk' to us about our 'problems' with life?" Anna muttered under her breath.

"She only does it because she cares," Artemis replied, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter. She seemed to be studying the two girls and Anna met her eyes squarely, but from behind her shades. Anna rolled her eyes, and tilted her head to Maki.

"Well, I'm done…suppose when you're finished…we go get our heads and bodies examined by the doctor," Anna remarked with a slight twitch of her mouth as she suppressed a sudden urge to smirk.

Nodding while polishing off the last half of her poptart, Maki folded the foil wrapper and walked around the kitchen's island, looking for a trashcan. The Martian laughed and opened a cabinet under the sink that contained a dull, plastic bin. Ridding herself of the garbage, the Japanese teen thanked M'gann and walked back to Anna, stretching. "We can go now…I am ready."

As they walked, she began plaiting her hair into a braid that fell over her left shoulder. She ran her fingers through her bangs, combing out the few tangles…after fixing her hair situation, she rolled up the sleeves of her sweatshirt. The dark tunnel of the cave opened into the spacious room that they had been debriefed in the night before.

"Glad to see you join me," Black Canary said, almost as if she believed they'd have changed their minds. Anna headed over to her, making sure that Maki was in tow of her. The two girls stopped a few feet from the woman. Black Canary indicated the area that they stood on. "This system will recognize you. It will keep track of your progress and chart out a profiling on your techniques that you choose to reveal." Anna felt her eyes narrow. It was as if the woman had gotten into her head somehow and was pulling out her thoughts and making them plain onto everything else. "I've heard of your mission debrief…and I know that both of you have some hand-to-hand combat skills…I'd like to test those first." She stepped back easily into a recognizable fighting stance and raised up one gloved hand before bending the fingers back and forth in a 'come at me' motion. Anna felt her fist's tighten reflexively at the taunting.

Black Canary spotted the action, and her mouth curled up at the corners. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and attack me….If you think you can land a hand on me." Anna lunged, finding herself suddenly angry at Canary's jabs, despite not even wanting to do the stupid activity to begin with. Light hands on her arm were the only warning she got before she ended up on her back with a solid 'Thud' and her glasses went flying through the air. Her hair was a tangled mass about her head, obscuring her vision.

The dark lenses slid across the floor and stopped at Maki's foot. She knelt down, picked the glasses up and took her place in the fighting arena, handing them back to Anna. "My turn."

Now, with her hair out of her eyes and feeling comfort and free range in her clothes, Maki was beginning to feel the rush that came with physical combat. Being trained to fight for years, she knew the various motions and fell into them easily – slowing her breath, calming her heart rate, and keeping her eyes open to read her opponent. Canary was no greenhorn either…she, herself, had many more years of practice than the young ninja did. Still, Maki felt her feet shift her weight and her hands come up in an easy, defensive position.

Eyes, watching for any slight movement, the brunette fell forward into a swift lunge, sidestepping around her instructor and moving to take a position at the blonde's back. Canary was quick to shift her position as well and fell into a crouch to knock Maki's feet out from under her. Maki hit the ground in a roll and came back up for a blow with her right arm that was blocked by Canary's forearm. The dance of strikes and evasions carried on for a few seconds before Maki slid back a few feet after taking a blow to the stomach. She stood beside Anna and reevaluated her opponent.

Anna slowly stood up, repositioning herself and her sunglasses. She kept an eye on Canary, while simultaneously keeping another eye on Maki's movements. There had to be an opening somewhere. The two were both skilled combatants and Anna saw no opening-but then again, Maki wasn't trying to leave her any openings. So Anna waited. The blow came and Anna found Maki at her side. A comforting place. She smiled slightly, despite their situation before giving a quick jerk of her hand towards Maki. The motion to outsiders would seem like nothing, but it was Anna's usually method of meaning 'together' like a rock. As her hand was folded into a fist. One word. 'Rock'. But it had it's own meanings, and knowing Maki-that's all it would take.

Anna dashed forward and watched as Canary shifted into a stance to counter her. That suited her just fine. She was a decoy. The real foot work would go to Maki. Anna swung up her hand, catching Canary's and pushed even though she got no leverage. The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, until Maki slid in between them-getting a grasp on Canary's arm due to the position Anna had drawn her into. Another hand firmly tapped her upper chest and with a twist, Canary found herself tumbling forward and over the ninja girl in a display of uncanny acrobatics that landed her flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her. That, she hadn't been expecting. Anna was grinning like a Cheshire cat, as if smug about their outcome. Maki appeared more reserved about it, as if this was merely the test it had been. There was sudden applause and a wolf-whistle. They had an audience.

Anna offered Canary a hand, and pulled the older woman up to her feet. Wally had decided to join them. His mouth was full and he was spraying crumbs as he talked.

"oh wow, that was awesome. How'd you do that?" he demanded, speaking to Maki of course. Of course. It would be Maki who got the credit for it. Anna found herself slightly irked by that. She'd been the one who distracted Canary long enough for Maki to even catch an opening. Just as quickly, she let the anger slip away. It wasn't worth it. Some stupid activity anyways. She realized Canary was watching her, and she unclenched her fists slower. She was going to have to work on that.

Maki shook her head with a small smile. She was very surprised that the instructor had allowed them such an easy fight…she could have moved from Maki's grasp had she wanted to. There were multiple possibilities to how the fight could have ended. "The credit should not go to me. Anna-chan came up with the plan…I merely followed her instructions."

"What?" The red-head's eyes were skeptical, "You didn't say anything. She just said 'Rock'. How could you get an entire plan from the word rock?"

"They are teammates, Wally," Aqualad's voice was even but friendly as he considered the two girls. "They know each other well…I am sure that Robin and yourself have your own ways of working together. In any case, good job both of you."

The Atlantean rested a hand on Maki's shoulder and she smiled again, cheeks turning slightly pink as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She glanced at Anna and her eyes seemed to be saying "I'm a bit confused". Anna felt the corners of her mouth twitch, but she offered her friend no help.

"Sooooo, you wanna pick at my brain first or hers?" Anna asked in turn, turning to the Canary. The blonde tilted her head slightly to the side as if considering.

"You tell me," she replied and Anna rolled her eyes.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiine, I'll go first. But only because you asked oh so nicely," Anna muttered darkly, and the Canary smiled. The blonde placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before leading Anna off and out of the room. Anna didn't want to leave Maki, but she figured they'd have to go through this eventually. The room she was led to was like any of the other rooms. Dull…well…they all had a bunch of junk in them, but nothing that interested her. Canary sat down in a chair that was directly across from another one. "You want me to sit?"

"If that's what you want to do," Canary replied. Anna's eyes narrowed and she perched on the arm of the chair, just to be different.

"So, where do we begin?" Anna muttered, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. The outfit was too big, and not at all comfortable. Canary seemed to consider it, leaning back into her chair.

"Wherever you feel best," she replied.

"And what's that suppose to mean? What am I even suppose to talk about?" Anna demanded.

"…whatever you want to."

"…you're messing with me."

"Maybe"

"….Fine…wanna start at the beginning?"

"That's usually a good place."

"In the beginning…God created the heavens and the earth…or so they say," Anna muttered, seeing if she could get a rise out of the other woman. No response. Not even a muscle twitch to say she'd found it funny. This would be tough. "No seriously…What am I suppose to talk about?"

"…why don't you start with…why are you here?" Canary asked. A simple question, that could have a very complex answer. She waited.

"…Well….you see…when a man loves a woman very much-," Anna started and was cut off by a slight chuckle.

"You don't like me, do you?" Canary asked, and one of Anna's eyebrows shot up.

"What gave away that impression? I'm so in love with you, its hard for me to just sit here," Anna muttered, before leaning back and dropping into the chair. She pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"Fine…You want to know what I see when I look at you?" Canary asked, leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees.

"Suuuuuuurrrreeeee, you going to tell me what a pretty young lady I am and that I need to give up this life and do something more successful with it?" Anna retorted sharply.

"…no…I see a very young…and little girl…pretending to be more mature and grown-up then she really is," Canary replied, "Anna, I'm only here to help you. You're a thirteen year old—" Anna jumped up.

"How do you people do it?" She demanded, planting her hands on her hips," One day? ONE DAY, and suddenly you think you know everything about me. But you're very wrong—"

"Then correct me, please," Canary said, and indicated the chair. Anna sullenly sank back down into it.

-x-

Maki watched as Anna was led off by Canary and she suddenly felt very lonely. The girl was the only family that had…or at least, the closest she had at the moment. And of course she saw how Anna ignored her silent cry from help when she had received attention from the dark skinned boy who still stood next to her. Maki mumbled under her breath in Japanese. _Mean. You know that I do not understand boys._

Again, her thoughts were interrupted by the young speedster. "-I mean, did you see that? Well…you were there, obviously, but MAN! Instant replay, please! I've NEVER seen Canary brought down so easily before."

"Well she did allow us a victory," Maki shook her head, wishing she could stop the ongoing commentary from the boy, "One that could have easily been taken away from us. It is not good to go into, or leave, a battle with arrogance. It can lead to a dishonorable ending."

"Aka, shut up Kid-mouth," Artemis rolled her eyes and ripped a bag of potato chips out of Wally's hands. She cut him a glare, "We were all there, we all saw it, so stop talking. And STOP stealing MY snacks, you pig!"

They began bickering and Maki resisted the urge to place a hand against her head. She was so unaccustomed to the loud antics of others her age. Normally it was either her and Anna on their own, or just herself within her quiet dwellings. Was this how normal teenagers acted? A mellow voice spoke in her ear, "I am sorry about them. Have you found yourself comfortable here yet?"

Maki turned to Kaldur with a smile. She honestly tried not to fall for others romantically – it had a tendency to go awry. But this young man was so mature for his age…so different from any others their age. She was fluent in English but she felt like she was tongue tied for the moment. It was so different the night before when they were on a mission. Even paired together…even in the "Tunnel of Love"…they had a job to do that took precedence. This was downtime. This was WAY different.

His blue eyes looked at her questioningly, and she realized that she hadn't said anything. "Ah, well…I have not been here long enough know. And last night was rather…restless."

"I see…would you like a tour?" Kaldur's eyes softened and she felt her cheeks heat up again. Before she could reply, Wally's arm was around the Atlantean's shoulder and he was leering at his friend.

"Ahhh…I see what you're doing." He wiggled his eyebrows and Kaldur sighed, mentally counting to ten before moving away from Wally. He murmured something to the boy and the red-head's expression changed from entertained to one of defeat. Maki watched him and considered his actions. She knew already, from the mission the night before, that he was the team leader. But even off of missions, he still acted mature and took his decisions seriously. He finally turned back to her, holding his arm out in front of them. "If you don't mind, we can start over here."

-x-

"So…anything I say…doesn't leave this room right?" Anna asked. Canary gave a slight nod, and Anna leaned back, pulling her shades off and propping them on top of her head. "Right. So you want to know how I got to being like all Castor-like right?" Canary gave no response and Anna sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head against the back of the chair. "I hate head-shrinks….and I've seen my fair share of them, so don't bother with an excuse…You're all the same."

"I wasn't going to give any excuses," Canary told her quietly," I'm here to listen…and to offer any advice that I can…" Anna gave a slight nod of her head.

"Yes. I'm only thirteen…but…I lost my family when I was about five. I don't really remember much of it…only that there was some kind of fire started, and…my brother went in to try and rescue them…He never made it out, and neither did they," she started her story," I moved around a lot to different foster homes and stuff. Bounced back and forth between people…I'd always kind of just knew I was different to begin with…The way I could find things…and locate people. You know, small stuff at first…but then Ak'virta found me…along with his minions."

"Minions?" Canary questioned, eyebrows raising slightly.

"uh…these strange gargoyle things looking for their Queen," Anna said with a slight shrug of her shoulders," I'm pretty sure I'm not there Queen because they have undying loyalty to their master, and they don't listen to me…I just emit the same energy signature…I call myself Castor…because it sounded like a pretty cool name…" She tilted her head slightly to the side," I met up with Maki…when I was trying to track down this cat burglar for stealing this Persian cat…and Maki had been hired to retrieve the diamond encrusted collar the cat wore—seriously, who puts diamonds on a cat anyways…but yeah."

"…your first job was to track down a stolen cat?" Canary asked, not seeming to believe her.

"Yeah…People love their animals…and we start out pretty small. I didn't start getting serious until a few years ago when Mi—uh…my powers went on fritz," Anna covered quickly, making an impromptu decision not to mention Mindfreak to her.

"…," Canary's look told her that she didn't follow that line of thought. "And what brought you to Gotham?"

"Business."

"What type?"

"Businessly business."

"Right."

Anna smirked slightly, as if pleased with herself but Canary only seemed more concerned about her.

"So, do you stay with someone?" Canary questioned and Anna shook her head. Canary's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't have a foster-family?'

"No currently…I left the last one, and after a couple of years…They give up on searching for you," Anna replied with a shrug," I left a note telling her that I was leaving, and not to worry about me—"

"How old were you?" Canary questioned, it seemed guarded though.

"um…I don't know…like eight?" she replied with a shrug.

"You've been on your own for five years?" Canary questioned," and no ones tried to help you or bring you in to proper custody?" Anna shook her head quietly, leaving out the part about having to evade such helpful company in her life. "Very well…I think we've covered enough for this one session…it won't be our last."

"Joy," She muttered sarcastically," Can I go now?"

"Not yet," Canary replied and leaned forward," Anna…Do you trust anyone here?"

"Yeah," Anna replied quickly and one of Canary's slender eyebrows rose," ….no."

"Why not?"

"…because I don't trust myself."

-x-

"And this, obviously, is the beach," Maki stared at the wide blue ocean and felt incredibly…seasick. She wasn't terrified of boats or the ocean…quite the opposite. She opposed flying with every fiber of her being. So she traveled wherever she needed to go via ships. However…spending so much time on top of the rolling water…

"Are you alright? You look ill," Aqualad gave her a concerned glance and she shook her head, feeling her stomach roil. She looked between him and the water and took a deep breath of the salty air. Sometimes it helped and sometimes it didn't.

"I will be fine…I've just spent too much time on boats, it seems."

The boy seemed to relax and smiled. "Trust me, it is much easier underwater. More smooth and free."

"I will have to take your word for it," Maki felt a small laugh escape. She liked it out there in the quite. Away from…well, in all honesty, she preferred anywhere AWAY from Kid Flash. "I have not swam in a long time. I do not have the leisure to."

"We will have to remedy that."

As they grinned at each other, someone cleared their throat. The older teens turned to see Robin leaning against the wall of the cave, grin on his face. "You're turn for the shrink-wrap session, Maki."

The feeling of relaxation began to fade and was replaced by her usual stoic calm. She gave Aqualad one last smile before following the Boy Wonder through the cave to where Black Canary, and a rather annoyed looking Anna, stood waiting. As they passed each other, Maki gave Anna's hand a quick squeeze. Hopefully, she was alright.

Canary's blue eyes held a friendly glow as she ushered the Japanese girl into her office. The setting was what Maki would call 'tranquil'. She chuckled to herself. Anna would probably call it boring. The woman gestured to one of the two chairs in the room; Maki gingerly sat on the edge of the cushion back straight and hands resting in her lap as she watched her confidant.

"What is it you would like to know?" Her hazel eyes calmly gazed at the blonde. Canary sat in the chair opposite of her, relaxing into it as if it were a part of her everyday routine. She tilted her head to the side.

"Anything you would like to tell me."

Maki was confused. She was not raised to discuss things like this. "I have never…done…this –" she gestured to the chairs with her left hand, "…before. I will, however, answer anything you ask me as truthfully as I can…If I am even able to provide answers."

Canary watched the young girl. Where her previous client seemed to find importance in seeming grown up…this girl seemed to be older than she should be. She had been forced to grow up to fast. "Alright then…you seem very close to Anna…do you see yourself as her provider?"

Maki's eyes narrowed questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"She has no family of her own…do you provide her support?"

"Ah," Maki realized the real question that Canary was asking, "It is more like…we provide for each other. Neither of us are more important than the other. We are just simply together."

"And you've known each other for long?"

"Two years. We met in France…on a similar mission. We did not become partners till three months later. Soon, it became second nature for us to work together. She is like a sister to me."

"And you…do you live here in America?" When Maki shook her head, Canary continued. "What about your family? You say that Anna is like a sister to you…do you have any blood siblings?"

"My father died six years ago. My mother lives in New York with my _ototou. _My brother. When I am at home, I run our family dojo…we teach kendo as a main form of defense training. I learned martial arts from my father as well…I use his teachings to instruct others."

"You sound like you were close to your father. When did you start your current…occupation? Was he a part of it?" Her calm voice seemed to be sending memories upon memories crashing onto Maki. She had, indeed, been close to her father. So close that a single mistake that she made removed him from her life forever.

"He was a protector. I am both a protector and enforcer…In the beginning, I wanted to be neither…it was only till after he was gone that I understood what he wished of me. I miss his wise teachings every day."

Maki's eyes were misty and Canary knew that the girl had been keeping this weight on her chest for a long time. She leaned forward and placed a hand on Maki's knee. "He sounds like he was a good man."

-x-

Anna watched the two head off. She knew it was coming and now she was alone. She supposed she could just go back to the shared quarters, but she realized she didn't know her way around the base that well. She heard quiet chuckling and became aware of the fact that Robin was also around. She stormed off hotly, not caring where her room was now if she got away from him.

"So, you talk about anything enlightening?" Robin asked her, not letting her disappear that easily.

"What?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Black Canary?" Robin questioned, with a thumb jerk over his shoulder at where they'd just left Canary with Maki.

"Yeah…completely," she muttered under her breath, having found the kitchen again. Conner was there with M'gann still. "Hey, do either of you know the direction to the room I'm staying in?"

"Conner can take you there," M'gann said sweetly as she mixed stuff together in a bowl. Conner stood up swiftly, and headed down a hallway without another word to them.

"uh…." Anna said.

"Yeah. He gets like that," Robin said before following down the hallway after Conner. Anna crossed her arms over her chest. Of course everyone but her would know where her room was. Conner was waiting outside a door, arms crossed over his chest. He had a serious expression his face and he indicated the door.

"Here," he said gruffly before heading back the direction they'd came. Anna rubbed at her face as she opened the door and went in. She didn't bother shutting the door and Robin took that as an open invitation. "It's really not all that bad here. You'll see." She flopped down on her bed, rolling over so her back was to him.

"If you're done, please shut my door on the way out," she muttered. She felt like guilt was eating at her now. She hadn't told many people about her parents death—or EVER told that she had a brother. She didn't know what had happened to make her tell the Canary all of that information. It was eating at her now, wondering how that information was going to be used against her. Her right arm was pulled up under her head, since she wasn't going to be using the pillow anytime soon.

"…I'll bring you some lunch back," Robin said quietly and she heard the soft click of the door close. She felt tears pool up before spilling over and dripping down onto her arm. She didn't make any move to wipe them off though. She'd let Canary in, despite all her years of avoidance and untrustliness. After all this time, someone had gotten into her head for a change. She blinked away the remaining tears and let the ones on her cheek dry. There was a quiet tapping on the door, like someone's knuckles thumping it. She rolled over quickly, sitting up and was to the door in a matter of seconds to open it. Robin was balancing some plates and cups in an almost comedic manner. She took a cup and a plate, and sidestepped, making a gesture for him to come in. He did and sat down crosslegged on her bed without further invitation. She moved to join him, wondering what he'd gotten her. There were some cookies on the plate, chocolate chip, and some type of potato chips? Plain and salty. But the sandwich? It was a peanut butter and jelly. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch.

"What if I was allergic to peanut butter?" she questioned, popping a chip into her mouth.

"You aren't, and you dislike other sandwiches," Robin said, taking a bite out of his," Ham and mayo? Nope. But peanut butter and jelly? That's a classic. Besides, who could dislike a classic?" There was something in his question that Anna felt had nothing to do with the actual sandwich, but she didn't press it. She took a sip of her water and remained quiet as she ate. "So…you in the mood to talk?" She took another bite of her sandwich and said nothing. "I take that as a no, but can I ask you a question?"

"Didn't you just?" She replied and shook her head," No, you can't…but you will anyways."

"….Fine," he said, startling her as he continued to eat," I won't pry." And that only served to fuel her curiosity as the raven-headed boy continued his meal.

The silence only lasted a minute before a figure stepped into the doorway, "Anna-chan…_daijoubu?"_

Maki's words fell short as she saw Robin and Anna sitting on her bed in a very familiar manner, sharing lunch. What all had happened while she was talking to Canary. She dipped her head quickly in greeting."Oh, hello."

In the Japanese girl's arms were a couple of pairs of jeans and some shirts. She laid them on the beds and looked over to Anna as she relayed the scene that had just happened.

"_I enjoyed talking with you," Canary and Maki shared a smile…it was true, Maki found the older woman to be a very good listener. Although they had not delved into any deep subjects, just talking in general was a nice feeling. _

"_Practice starts tomorrow at eight," The woman gave a slight wave and walked away just as Artemis cleared her throat._

"_Yeah…I know I'm not Miss Hospitality or anything…but I figured that you and Castor could use a change of clothes." She held a brown bag out to Maki and looked slightly embarrassed. "I had to guess but my stuff will probably fit you. As for Castor…I hit a growth spurt about a year ago…shot of six inches. Mom kept some of my things for whatever reason. I don't really need them."_

_Maki pulled the shirts and pants out of the bag, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. She gave Artemis a wide grin. "I know we both must look terrible right now. _Arigato_. I will make it up to you."_

_Artemis waved her words off, "Eh…we'll just hang sometime. There's a Halloween party tonight. Its not anything we're throwing…its Megan and Conner's school. But the whole team's invited."_

_Maki felt a small glow at being included in the 'Team'. "I will talk to Anna."_

_The blonde departed as Maki shifted through the articles of clothing…blue jeans and a maroon turtleneck for herself and black skinny jeans and an Alice in Wonderland t-shirt. She chuckled and began walking to her room._

Anna looked up startled, and with a guilty look as soon as Maki set foot into the room. Here she was, eating food and hadn't even gotten Maki any of it. She held out her plate in an attempt to make up for it.

"Uh…hi…food?" She asked and noticed the slight tilt of Robin's head. The kind people get when they've been wondering about something for awhile and they've found the missing piece of knowledge. Maybe it was his unasked question? "It's peanut butter and jelly." And Anna suddenly realized she had no idea what Maki liked to eat…they didn't really have time for comfort food when the two were together so she'd never really figured out if Maki had any dislikes towards food. Food was food. It provided nourishment and energy. Anna was balancing her cup of water on her knee and grabbed a cookie, taking a small bite of it. She didn't know what to say in response to the green archery girl's sudden act of kindness….Should she even accept it? Yeah. No reason to tramp around in these ridiculous clothes when there were some perfectly good ones right there.

"That was nice of her," Robin said quietly, eating a potato chip. He offered no other real comment and Anna couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking—the whole 'bring her lunch' thing had really thrown her off as well. But she supposed being the sidekick to the 'great detective' Batsy, could do that to a guy. Maybe he was just trying to pull a Black Canary and get inside her head too. Instant distrust.

Maki shook her head with a smile, "No thank you," was the response she gave to the offering of the sandwich, but she took a potato chip from the plate. When she munched down on it, she briefly enjoyed the instantly salty taste that exploded in her mouth. She enjoyed it for a second and then smiled at Robin. "I do not wish to be rude…but I would like to get changed."

She tilted her head to the side though. "Thank you for your kindness to us. It has been most helpful."

Her hand brushed the fabric of the turtleneck absentmindedly. True she was enjoying the feeling of being part of something larger…but why was everyone so trusting? That idea alone was the only thing that sat in the back of her mind. Nothing was perfect…there should be at least one person who wasn't as happy to have them there. Robin smiled and stood up, catching Anna's glass as he did.

"You done?" he asked and she nodded, offering him her plate. He grabbed it, his fingers sliding over hers to get a better grip of the plate and she almost dropped it at the sudden contact. One of his eyebrows shot up but he didn't comment.

"See you later, now shoo," She said, gesturing at the door.

"I'm shooing, I'm shooing," He said with a slight chuckle, making sure to close the door on his way out. Anna flopped back on her bed.

"Yay, clothes," she said, but didn't get back up to get them. "So…A party? Seriously? We've been here for like…two days…and they want us to attend a party?" She shook her head, sitting back up. "I don't know about you…but I don't think I could handle a party." She bit her bottom lip nervously. "We don't…have to go?" She pulled her shades off, laying them on the nightstand and getting up to grab the outfit she knew must've been for her. The maroon was pretty, and would look exceptionally well on Maki. Dark colors were Anna's forte though, and she was glad she hadn't been given something pink and frilly.

Maki began changing, mind running through various scenarios of what might be happening in the future. True…they had just gotten the job yesterday. "I believe she asked out of courtesy. If we explain that we do not wish to go, I do not think that they will pressure us. They seem to be walking on eggshells around us…And now we wait."

When the turtle neck was pulled over her head and was wrapped snuggly around her torso, she turned back to her roommate. "You and Robin seemed…close."

She felt the awkwardness of the unasked question fill the air. In their years working together, boys were the LAST thing they ever considered talking about. Their conversations were usually battle plans, strategy, and mission prospects. They never had the need to consider anything else.

Anna, with her back to Maki stared down at the Alice in Wonderland t-shirt, as if she were trying to make it burst into flame. She evaded the question. "You and fish-boy seemed…close."

It felt like a low-blow, but if Anna was going to be forced to discover things then she was taking Maki with her on the path of self-discovery. She swiftly changed clothes, feeling better with the tighter pants on now. The shirt was snug as well, but not so snug that it made her uncomfortable. She twisted from side to side, then did some stretching towards her legs to test the fabric of her pants. They were hand-me downs and were well worn for her enough so she could move with ease. She didn't want to think about Robin, not in that way anyways. She'd never actually considered the potential of a boy before as something she really even needed. She'd seen other couples before and understood it, but doubted that she was going to need or desire anything like that until she was a few years older. She fished through the nightstand and came up with a hair-band which she used to try and pull her hair back into something manageable. She was having no such luck.

Maki silently turned and picked up the hairbrush that sat on the dresser. She stood behind Anna and began brushing her long, wild tresses, the movements being calming. She considered the conundrum. Most girls would jump at the chance to discuss boys…but of course Maki and Anna weren't most girls. "Kaldur is a very nice boy. He is mature for his age."

"Heh. Just your type?" Anna's comment was one that should probably have been taken as humor but Maki considered it for a moment.

" I do not know yet." She pulled the girl's dark hair through the hair tie and fluffed it in a sisterly manner. "I have never had experience with boys. I was always too busy." Anna shook her head, pretending to fuss over her hair that Maki had just fixed for her. She grabbed her friend's hand, pulling her along after her.

"Come on, might as well let them know we're not going," Anna said, heading out the door at her usually break-neck speed, letting go of Maki's hand. Three steps. That's all she got before she slammed into something very solid and tumbled onto her butt. She looked at the boots she saw first, then slowly let her eyes wander upwards to reach the face of an actually decent looking guy. In total red and black. He had some kind of bow and arrow thing on his back much like Green Arrow or Artemis. Who was he? And why did he have to be there?

"…," he didn't say anything at first, only scowled at her. He seemed to be in a bad mood, but Anna didn't think it had to do with her running into him. He probably hadn't even felt that impact. She remained on the ground, feeling slightly frozen by his intimidating look.

Maki knelt beside Anna and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Her eyes turned to the man who seemed to be similar to her in age. She gave him a once over, taking in the sight of the newcomer. She tensed, sensing his displeasure.

Crossing his arms, the irritated red head cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at the two. "Who are you?"

His voice was a deep timbre and Maki felt a sizzle flow down her spine. This was not a man to mess with. She helped Anna to her feet and slightly bowed her head. "I am Maki…Phoenix. And this is Castor."

She waited for him to introduce himself, but instead he just glared – sizing them up – before brushing past them. Maki was stunned. Never before had she ever met someone so angry and wound up. She felt her inner sense of trouble and considered it to be the moment she had been waiting for. Of course, not everyone would be happy with the new addition to the team. Deciding to ignore him for the time being, she placed a hand on Anna's shoulder and smiled. "Shall we go?"Anna turned slightly to watch the red-headed man on his walk. Something about him…she couldn't place her finger-tip on it though. It was elusive.

"He's trouble," she murmured, shaking her head," I don't know…but…something seems off about him. That and his total lack for manners…Sheesh. I could've hurt myself on him." There was a few seconds of silence before the corner of her mouth twitched. "And here I thought we were worried about two others…" She shook her head, before reverting to a more immature self. "Come on…I want to go get some candy…and it IS Halloween…when's the last time we went trick-or-treating? I bet I can STILL get a bigger stash than you could. People like crazy kids like me." She grabbed Maki's hand and dashed off. They entered the large room where a few others were located, getting ready for Halloween. She spotted the quiet interaction between M'gann and Conner. Something about the way the two looked at each other. They had to be a couple. There was a flash of light and someone stepped through. She spotted Artemis coming in with another girl, this one with longer black hair. The two seemed pretty close to each other and were glancing at the couple. Artemis gave a slight wave to them, and Wally zipped over.

"Hello my lovely ladies," he said, placing an arm around their shoulders," You two going to keep the Wall-ster company or do I need to hold your hands?" He winked at them and Anna unhooked his arm before heading off. Maki rolled her eyes at Wally but smiled, moving away from him. He was dressed in a high school letterman jacket and was covered from head to toe with brown fur. "Teenage Wolf?" she guessed with a smile.

"Babe…" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her, "You really get me."

She rolled her eyes with a smile and turned her attention to the giant man in the red suit that stood in the room. She recognized Captain Marvel from the news reports…and he looked exactly the same. Except for the thin layer of white and black face paint. The black haired girl who entered with Artemis tilted her head to the side. "Zombie Captain Marvel…very…creative. Is the League having a party? Because my dad didn't mention it."

He looked shocked, "What? No-no-no…see…FINE."

He crossed his arms over his chest in an immature manner. Narrowing his eyes at the teens, it looked like he was forcing himself not to stick his tongue out at them. "I'M going trick-or-treating. And I'm NOT sharing any of my candy!"

Maki stepped towards him and gestured between herself and Anna. "Is it alright if we join you? We were going to go get candy anyway."

Anna glanced up at the sudden mention of candy, "Candy?" The innocent tone of her voice and the slight tilt of her head meant nothing.

"Oh," Captain Marvel said, seeming taken aback. He looked slightly suspicious though, as if he didn't believe they wanted to go with him. "Sure."

"CAAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDYYY!" Anna shrieked, startling everyone as she dashed into the Zeta-tube with an almost insane sounding laugh. Maki felt a small smile pull at her lips at her younger comrades antics.

"Come. The night is young. It would be an honor to have a guide around the town. If you would not mind," Maki said, not forcing him into anything and giving him the chance to take back anything he said in his brief spite of anger. The man's face broke out into a smile.

"Yeah. I know the best houses for the best candy," he said, heading for the zeta-tube with Maki in tow.

**End Notes**

**Anna: CANDY! WHOO! **

**Maki: You are going to end up with cavities.**

**Anna: WHOO-HOO. I'll brush my teeth really good I PROMISE. Oh, I wonder what costumes we'll see? **

**Captain Marvel: OH FUN! **

**Anna: GET OUT OF THE NOTES!**

**Maki: Be nice. He is a guest. **


	6. Chapter 6 Night Shenanigans

**Disclaimer: We do not own YJ. Not that rich or creative. We do own the two NEW characters we're throwing in – Anna Winter/Castor and Maki O'neil/Phoenix. Enjoy~**

**Summary: A new villain emerges, forcing young Anna take up the role of Castor and face her inner demons. Maki O'neil is still coming to terms with her father's death. Their journey takes them to Gotham where their lives become entwined with the legendary Batman and the new team known as Young Justice. **

**Chapter 6: ****Night Shenanigans**

Anna raced around the corner, turning it into a controlled slide so she wouldn't fall forward and bust her face open on the unforgiving concrete. She clutched her skull bag closer to herself as she headed down the alleyway at a slower pace. It was dark outside, and the wind was unsettlingly cold. She'd located one of her small bags she'd had scattered out, and had slipped into a plain tight black shirt. She'd kept Artemis's dark pants, and tucked them carefully into her boots. Then she'd convinced Maki to let her buy this one dollar set of cat ears and a cat tail, which she'd clipped to the back of her pants. She had on another one of her thin black jackets with a hood. The skull bag, an elderly lady had given out to her, and jostled with her stash of candy she'd received tonight. She took another step and the wind picked up. So much for finding Mindfreak... He'd been watching them trick or treat. Captain Marvel, Maki and herself. She'd felt him and had chased after him without a word. Maki had followed swiftly, but somehow they'd all gotten separated. Anna pulled her jacket tighter around her and the wind simply dropped off. She could make out a figure before her, but if wasn't Mindfreak. No. It was a boy. He was gangly, as if he hadn't used in muscles for anything in a long time. He wore the color black as if it were going out of fashion and in his arms was a rather demonic looking cat.

"What's that Teekl? A visitor?" the boy spoke out, his voice carrying. It was annoying in the general sense of the term. The, all too pale, scrawny kid looked up at her. "What are you supposed to be?"

"...," she didn't reply and simply looked around, before deciding to ask," Have you seen a man come this way? He'd be taller than me and dressed in a-uhm...reddish orange metal like suit? Part human, part metal-ness?" The boy continued to stare at her. Well, younger teen but older than her? Maybe older teen? She couldn't really tell. The cat made a low growling sound, before turning the noise into something she'd consider a questioning sense of the voice.

"Yes Teekl, we're on our way now," he replied, as if the cat had asked some sort of question. Anna slipped her foot back into a fighting stance.

"Who are you?" She demanded, not liking him.

"Me? I'm Klarion...Lord of Chaos? Who are you suppose to be?" he asked, eyes narrowing. She could feel energy rippling from him, tainted by darkness. It made her want to shudder. The power increased, seeming to cloud the air and leech out towards her. She took a step back reflexively.

"You'd probably know me best as Castor," she replied.

"Hmph, what kind of stupid name is that?" he asked, shaking his head slightly.

"Lord of Chaos is even stupider. You can't Lord over Chaos, or else it wouldn't chaos. It would become organized, and no longer exist as chaos," Anna remarked sarcastically," duh." The boy flicked his hand and some sort of dark mass launched out and smacked her backwards, causing her to spill all her candy. She slowly got up, tossing the bag down.

"That's. IT. NO ONE MESSES WITH MY CANDY!" She shrieked at him, and he looked slightly alarmed as she threw her hands out in front of her. Nothing happened. "COME ON!" She flicked her hands again, and Klarion's jacket jerked slightly as if a gust of wind had unsettled it. The cat, Teekl, growled lowly.

"Hmph. You can't mess with me. I'm a lot more powerful than you. I work with dark magic," Klarion said, crossing his arm over his chest and leaning back slightly onto his hips.

"You wouldn't be able to-" She was angry now, and snapped her fingers, concentrating on sending a solid attack of energy. Klarion was knocked backwards onto his back and Teekl leapt away from him with a snarl. "AH. GET HER TEEKL!" He shouted, pointing at her. Suddenly the cat morphed, become much larger and demonic looking.

"EEEK!" She shrieked, dashing away as the cat-monster leapt at her. It missed and she rolled forward, turning swiftly and backing up. This put her at a disadvantage with Klarion at her back, who slowly rose to stand and dusted his outfit off.

"Ha ha, Teekl's going to make you pay for that," he snapped, sounding like a snobby boy now than ever.

"What did I do to you?" She demanded, backing up slowly away from the advancing cat.

"You insulted me," He replied snidely.

"And if I said I was sorry?" She asked and he shook his head.

"I'm still going to make Teekl eat you," he replied with a slight sneer on his face. She waited until the cat sprung again before dropping straight to the ground. The cat-monster missed her but slammed into Klarion who grunted as he hit the ground. The cat changed back into its normal shape and size, letting out a mournful sounding meow. "yeah yeah...we're leaving." The boy flicked his hand, seeming to make some kind of portal open up into the air. "Next time we met, you won't be walking away from this." He said, opening his arms so Teekl could jump up into them.

"Maybe next time you won't run away before the battles up," She snapped at him angrily. His eyes narrowed.  
>"I'm not running away. Time is of the essence...You'd better enjoy this night while you can...whilst the adults are still around to pass out their goodies to greedy little snot-nosed brats like yourself," Klarion told her before flicking his hand at her. Another dark whitering mass hit her and she was tossed a few good feet back into a brick-wall. By the time she'd gotten up, the witch-boy was gone. She growled, stooping down to begin the tedious task of picking up all of her candy...and to think the night had been going so well before this.<p>

-x-

"Castor!" Maki's face was flustered and she grit her teeth in annoyance. Anna had taken off like a cannon ball after a flash of orange and red that had disappeared around the corner of an ally way not twenty minutes ago. Maki had been keeping up with her friend's insane candy search for most of the night but this was a new stretch, even for the multi-color haired girl.

"…please excuse me for a second, Captain," Maki moved away from the amazingly buff, cape-clad superhero and ducked into a back street and behind a dumpster. It wasn't the most classy place to get changed, but she didn't have room to complain. Anna was powerful but she had a VERY bad habit of getting in to more and more trouble.

The ninja adjusted her mask and looked up at Captain Marvel as she steped into the streetlight. "She looked distressed when she took off. It is probably nothing to worry about, however we need to find Castor."

"Right! I know just what to do!" Captain's mouth stretched into a grin, happy to help in the hurried situation, and he pushed his candy bag's handles up his arm like a purse then swooping Maki up bridal style. "Hang on tight!"

"IE! I do not like to –" Her uncharacteristic shrieks of protest were cut off as the dark haired hero shot into the sky and flew above the city, eyes scanning the streets and alleys below with a happy smile on his face. Maki turned slightly green. She was not born with wings, nor did she have the power of flight…anywhere higher than ten feet was TOO high.

"That's better!" The cheerful tenor voice chirped, happily. "Now…we're looking for black, pink, and purple! Keep your eyes peeled!" This was MUCH more fun than going to a stupid party with the team! He flew forward at a slow but steady speed, eyes tracing the rooftops and sidewalks.

"What do you-"

He looked down at his passenger, who's eyes were squeezed shut. She had her hands on his shoulders and were busy grasping them as tight as she could, and was busy grasping them as tight as she could, breathing deeply and trying to meditate away the knowledge that she was flying a good forty feet in the air. If she fell, how much damage would the impact do? A LOT. Not good. Captain Marvel's eyes widened and he landed on a rooftop, setting her gently onto the concrete, hands on her arms to steady her.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry…I didn't know. Please don't be mad…"

"_Ie_…no…I am not mad." Her breathing was still deep and paced as she fought her racing heart. "I will be fine now…that my feet are on something solid. _Daijoubu ka._"

She felt her body readjusting to its normal, calm state and she opened her eyes again. She fixed the almond orbs on her partner and smiled softly. "Please…let us be off. I am fine on roof tops…as long as I am on a solid structure. If you would not mind searching from the sky?"

Captain grinned, relieved that she was fine and not going to tell him off for his stupidity. "Yeah! I'll let you know if I find her!"

He lifted up and hovered fifteen feet above her, looking down at the ninja eagerly. She nodded to him and fixed her gaze across from her at the various roof tops. She took two steps back and ran forward at full speed. Leaping across the eight foot distance from ledge to ledge. She made sure to take a quick, analytical glance down into the alleys.

Ten minutes into the mindless activity and she heard a call from her right. She saw the Captain dive in between a convenience store and a brownstone school building. Maki adjusted her jump to land on the flat surface of the fire escape. She jumped the remaining ten feet to the ground and rolled as soon as she hit the pavement, bracing herself to slow the impact and recover into a vertical position.

She looked up into the shocked face of Captain Marvel. She sounded confused. "I could have sworn I saw her…she ran back here!"

Maki's eyes narrowed and she placed a hand lightly on the hilt of her sword, cautiously.

"Looks like you two got a little turned around…your spell-_castor_ friend is…back there." A deep voice echoed around them, his laughter to the pun bouncing off of the walls. Stepping out of the shadows was a man covered in red and gold plated armor.

A foreboding shiver shot down Maki's back. Deadly…this man was _not_ a trick-or-treater. She tensed and de-clipped the hilt of her sword, hand gripping firmly on the handle. She was regarding him, silently. Captain on the other hand…

"WHO ARE YOU? And what do you _mean_ she's not here? I saw her!" He clenched a fist and glared at the stranger. The man merely chuckled in response.

"Calm down…little boy," Captain Marvel's eyebrow twitched and he murmured under his breath.

"_Little?"_

"You and the ninja should go home…if you know what's good for you. The jinx-finger is exactly where she needs to be." He sneered at Maki. "Don't worry, _mommy_. She'll be home before her bedtime."

"Who are you?"

He narrowed his eyes and grinned ferociously at her. "I am your nightmares personified…_Ma-chan_."

Maki froze, eyes wide, and her hand let go of the handle of her blade. The sword, no longer strapped on, fell out of the sheath and clattered onto the concrete. She hadn't been called 'Ma-chan' since…

The man laughed again, head tossing back as he gauffed. "You two should see your faces!"

He sobered, still wearing a smirk. "You've been pre-occupied long enough…till next time – kids." The armor clad man backed into the shadows, disappearing as quick as he appeared. The October wind blew hard and played with Captain's cape and Maki's long ponytail. She shivered as the cold air kissed the bare skin of her arms.

After a moment of silence, Captain turned and picked the katana up off the ground, handing it to the stoic ninja. "Phoenix…are you ok? You're kind of…frozen."

She blinked, shaking her head, and took the sword from the large man. She aligned the tip of the blade with the opening in the sheath, sliding it up into its case and securing the straps around the hilt. "I am alright."

That man…he knew too much. He knew about Anna…he knew about Maki's father. So much of this night didn't add up. "Phoenix? Captain?"

The duo turned to see a familiar girl in the opening of the alley. Anna tilted her head to the side, shifted her candy bag, and gazed at them through her shades. She adjusted her hair to cover a large scrape that was on her cheek. "Everything ok? You're all suited up Mak…Phoenix."

"…we will talk when we get back to the cave." Maki turned her eyes to Captain Marvel. "Do you need any more candy, or are we done for tonight?"

He was oddly quiet and seemed to be in deep concentration. "Huh? Oh yeah…yeah. I'll just be going home then. Do you need me to walk you two to the zeta tube?"

"Phone booth, yes?"

He nodded his head and Maki smiled, gratefully up at him. "We can make it there on our own. Be careful…and brush your teeth after eating all of that candy."

"Yes, Ma'am," Captain said, automatically…before turning red under his zombie face paint.

"What…are you his mother, now?" Anna chuckled, knowing she would bring this up again at a later date. Maki sighed, mind still trying to grasp the mysterious man. She gave a small smile and moved to walk beside her younger friend. "Come…let us get some rest. Good night, Captain."

"Night!" He flew off without another word, mulling over everything. He knew that Maki was just being helpful…no way she knew he was a kid. That man, though? He said it twice…_Little boy…kids. _The League should probably know about this new guy on the block.

-x-

Anna was silent the entire way back to the zeta-tube. It didn't even bother her when she headed into the bright light. She was still holding onto her bag of candy as she shuffled into the base, almost getting hit by the tall, broad-shouldered teen from earlier. He scowled at them darkly, paying them almost no heed before veering course to go around Anna. Anna turned and stuck her tongue out in a childish manner behind his back, a move she would never be bold enough to accomplish to his face. She turned around before he even got past Maki who was next through the zeta-tubes.

As soon as the white light faded, Maki's eyes focused on the closest thing…the black and red clad archer whom she and Anna had bumped into earlier in the night. She tilted her head to the side and smiled kindly at him. His return facial reaction was a slight frown but he stopped before her. His arms crossed over his chest, the muscles in his arms bulging. She could feel her eyes drawn to the buff limbs and Maki forced herself to clear her mind…it was rude to stare. She could discuss his…fitness…with Anna later. And perhaps the other girls? "I am sorry…We introduced ourselves before but did not get your name."

She tilted her head up to look at him in the friendliest manner she possibly could. He raised an eyebrow, frown still in place and gruffly said, "Red Arrow. And if you don't mind, I'm leaving." He edged around the quiet Japanese girl who shivered as his arm brushed her shoulder. She didn't bother turning to watch him leave…she fixed her eyes across the room on Anna, face slightly starting to burn.

"_Sore wa umaku ikanakatta…"_she murmured under her breath. That did not go well…

Anna spotted Robin in his hero get-up and one of her eyebrows shot up questioningly. Kaldur was not far from him and this confused her even more. "You two didn't go to the party?" She asked as she crossed over to them. Robin was perched on the back of the couch with such poise that Anna wondered if he was defying gravity. Kaldur had his arms crossed over his chest and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Nah…Oh? Get anything good?" Robin asked, leaning over towards her to peer into her skull bag. Again Anna found herself questioning if the laws of psychics simply did not apply to the slender built boy. She found her eyes tracing the curve of his arm as he picked through the top of her stash, watching the muscles flex slightly with hidden power. She shook her head slightly, pulling herself out of the daze she had entered. She blamed Klarion and his lack of masculinity. That had to be the only reason she was even noticing it in Robin right now. "Kit-kats, now those are good."

"HEY! Don't take my candy," Anna protested, and turned slightly red as both males looked at her. She hadn't said a word as Robin went through her stash. She grumbled under her breath, "Fine, but just this once." Robin chuckled slightly, opening the candy and breaking off a piece before popping it into his mouth. She couldn't tell if he actually enjoyed it or was just amused that he was messing with her. At least Wally wasn't her.

"So, you're suppose to be a cat?" Robin questioned, flicking one of the ears on her head. Cat. That reminded her of Klarion and she felt herself scowl. Maki's hand on her shoulder accompanied by a slight squeeze stopped any bitter retort. That reminded Anna of their sudden stop from candy grabbing.

"We need to talk," the ninja-girl said quietly. Robin studied her with an impassive expression and Anna realized it was directed at Kaldur. The leader. Well, if Robin was already here she supposed Maki was going to have to say whatever was on her mind. Anna's eyes narrowed behind her sunglasses. She hadn't even run into Mindfreak, just some stupid teenager who called himself the Lord of Chaos. Maybe Maki's night was more impressive, then again….maybe stupid witch-boy had a sister or something. A friend? Better than that dumb cat with a name that sounded like food. Teekl. That sounded like some sort of pastry you had with tea or something…or maybe a hard candy. Either way, that boy needed to get his cat declawed for the sake of humanity.

-x-

"Report."

Captain Marvel stood up and all eyes of the Justice League members focused on him. He cleared his throat and gave a short wave to his audience, "Uh…hi!"

Many of the members rolled their eyes, wearing an attitude of irritation. Billy knew what they thought of him. Kid. Little Brat. Not up to League standards. It wasn't the first time he had briefed on a mission…or reported a new baddie. Why was he so terrible at public speaking? He was _Captain Marvel_. Sure Billy Batson could afford to have stage fright…but not a super hero!

Noticing he was lost in his own thoughts, Black Canary cleared her throat. "Captain…?"

He blinked, his mind returning to the watch tower and his stick-in-the-mud coworkers. "Yeah…so we…that is to say I…well the new girls, Phoenix and Castor were there and this guy I had never seen before showed up!" His words were rushed and he face palmed after his long winded sentence. "Uh…let me start over."

The Green Lantern, Hal Jorden, and Hawkman groaned as Captain Marvel composed himself. After a few breaths, he looked Batman in the eye and said, " There's a new threat that has shown up in Fawcett City. And I don't think he's taking up permanent residence. He might cover Gothem…Metropolis…even Star City. It was my first time seeing him…but he was definitely a new face."

-x-

The woods were silent, not even the normal sound of the night played around them. Mindfreak seemed to appear like a ghost out of the darkness behind the small figure of Klarion, who was petting the top of his cat's head. Mindfreak hated cats, personally. Sometimes he envisioned himself punting the feline over a cliff. The cat looked at him and hissed as if sensing his thoughts. Go figure. Klarion didn't look back as the slight breeze ruffled the front of his coat.

"So, what do you think? Raw talent, no?" Mindfreak asked quietly, starting the conversation now rather than waiting for Klarion to finally come to his senses. The boy would take three days if he got his way, and stand there brooding in the dark. It bothered Mindfreak, he was use to action first—think later. Sure, he seemed to talk a lot but he wasn't thinking his actions through. His thoughts drifted to the younger girl with whom he was referring to. The one with the raven hair and purple highlights. It was dyed, and she looked nothing like the beautiful color she'd been born with. But she had her mother's figure, and her father's demeanor.

"Hunh...? What are you babbling about?" Klarion growled out, seeming annoyed and Mindfreak took in his rather ragged appearance. He'd obviously been in a tough scrabble with someone. It would seem the young Castor had some fight in her after all, but he doubted Klarion's ability to really test her. She'd need some training…but right now she wasn't ready. Something would have to break her, and he knew he'd have to wait for it. Patience. All good things come to those who wait.

"Looks like you had a rough night…run into anyone I know?" Mindfreak asked, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a sinister smirk. His voice was soft, and sinister. Teekl hissed quietly, before settling into his master's arms.

"Some annoying girl," Klarion snapped, sounding annoyed with his face squinting up.

"Really…and what did you think of her?" Mindfreak pressed on, crossing his arms over his chest. The armor plates glistened, seeming to be an actual part of him.

"….She has _some_ talent," Klarion murmured, seeming to be slightly appreciative of what he saw," BUT no control at all…she needs training…and instruction in the black magics that I use. She'd most likely end up a potent ally…" He turned to look at Mindfreak," Why do you ask though? She's not even on our side."

"…yet," Mindfreak replied in a ghost-like whisper, leaving Klarion with a rather confused look on his face. Mindfreak stepped back into the darkness of the woods.

"Hmph," Klarion muttered, turning back around to stare out into the night. He'd been honest about the girl. She had potential…and she was pretty. He smirked.

"Merow," Teekl growled, glaring up at him in slight annoyance with feelings akin to jealousy.

"Quiet Teekl," he snapped, petting the cat's head as he considered the strange raven-haired beauty with an aura that mirrored his own.

**Author Note:**

**Maki: Please do not eat all of that candy in one night…**

**Anna: Hey! It'll go bad if I don't! *sneers* Don't worry…I'll **_**brush my teeth**_**.**

**Maki: He reminds me of you…it is not a joke. *rolls eyes***

**Anna: HEY! *jumps up* Can I get a chapter all to myself next time?**

**Maki: Wait and see. Patience. **


End file.
